The Other Me
by Death2Afangirl
Summary: AU. Tsunayoshi Sawada has a slight problem. His alter ego is turning his life upside down. Hyper Dying Will Mode!Tsuna as his alternate personality.Future pairings 1827,6927,5927 and 8027...perhaps others. R and R.
1. The Second Son

The Other Me

A Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fanfiction

Disclaimer: All rights go to Akira Amano. I am just creatively using her characters and I am not profiting from this.

Author's Note: I thought of this idea, while writing chapter thirteen and fourteen of Hungry for Tsuna and I couldn't allow the plot bunny to escape.

Chapter One: The Second Son

Nana should have known….

There were early signs about this strangeness that surrounded her son. At first, she didn't notice it but from retrospect, she realized that such a moment related to the current situation she was having. As she diligently chopped a radish, she remembered an incident that she overlooked. She should have realized, when her easily frightened Tsu-kun, stopped his tears after being attacked by the neighbor's puppy. The puppy was such a new existence to her isolated child that when looking upon the creature he burst into tears. She remembered how the dog's tail wagged to and fro, despite her little boy's crying the puppy only wanted to play with him even more. Suddenly, the crying stopped and Nana, believing that her son realized that puppy wished him no harm, went back to her chores.

As, she went into the house, for quick second, to retrieve something, she heard a loud whine and then a whimper. Hurriedly, she rushed back to Tsuna, thinking that horrible dog had injured him, to find the puppy running away from the small brunette with his tail between his legs. She stared at her son as the whimpering of the dog died down in the distance. Tsuna turned to his mother, looking as normal as ever and continued to play with his ball quietly. She assumed that dog must have been scared off by something else and her Tsu-kun had nothing to do with it.

As the old memory left her, her attention shifted back to her cooking. Nana's cat paw (hand position) held firmly onto the carrot as she chopped the vegetable into small slices. While continuing her tedious but loving work, she recalled another occasion that explained her son's predicament. She should have guessed from that call that she received during Tsuna's elementary school days. When she had heard the reason for the call, she couldn't believe it. They must have gotten the wrong child. She refused to believe that her darling, discipline-abiding son suddenly challenged his homeroom teacher to a fight. It was so unlike Tsuna, who was so against fighting…mostly because her son lacked physical strength.

At the same time as she stirred the vegetables around in a murky broth, Nana pondered even further to another event. She should have predicted with her son's unusual violent behavior, as of late, that this would happen. Her son's relationship with his father was very strained. And she knew that, Tsuna disliked his father for being absent during his upbringing. However, she hadn't even thought that her son vent his anger towards his father in such a way. As soon as her son walked in from school and saw his missing father sprawled out on the floor, drunk as a mule, she anticipated him to do what he normally did: Turn his nose up in disgust and lock himself in his room until his father left. At first, her son made a move to do just that but, he didn't. Instead, with fire in his eyes, he lunged for one of the empty sake bottles on the floor, picking his father up by his shirt with incredible strength and proceeded to beat his papa senseless with the fragile object.

However, oblivious to her son's condition, she believed that her adolescent son was going through a phase. A very violent one. Yet, the psychologist broke the awesome news to her. Her son had another personality. Nana was overjoyed. Not only did she have one son but now she had two. What was a mother to do? Although, the psychologist could not figure out why this other personality emerged, Nana didn't question it. She was too elated.

So, anxious to meet her other son, she coaxed him out by making a big feast. She fixed a glorious dinner as a way to celebrate a great occasion, such as her husband coming home or Tsuna's promotion to the next year. Nothing was too good for her son or should she say her two sons. Nana's plan had worked. The brunette was lured in by the aroma of his mother's delectable cuisine. As Tsuna sat down to eat, Nana's maternal intuition told her, that this boy was not Tsunayoshi but her other son. She tried her hardest to suppress the glee that dared to burst from her bosom.

"How is it, Tsu-kun?" She asked the boy, who quietly helped himself to the feast set on the table.

The boy just nodded, briefly, giving his reply and continued to eat.

Disappointed that her second son wasn't much of a talker, just like her first son, Tsunayoshi, she pressured the other to reveal himself to her. She said slowly, putting emphasis on her first son's name. "That's good. Eat as much as you like...Tsunayoshi."

Suddenly, the brunette paused in mid-munch. He looked up at Nana, slamming his plate harshly on the table but not shattering it. His tawny eyes glared at the woman before him but Nana was unnerved by this gesture. Then, the brunette replied smoothly, "That's not my name."

Her second son's voice was leveled but the way he spoke, made her heart race just a little faster. Her second son had his father's charm. She continued to marvel her son, despite the glare she was receiving. Her second son has such beautiful eyes. His glowing tawny orbs glowered at her with such intensity that, the gaze reminded her so much of how Iemitsu would look at her. She concealed a blush…this was her son, after all. She smiled gently at the brunette. "Oh...I'm sorry. What is your name? This is the first time I am meeting you."

Realizing that he had slipped, the brunette looked at his mother with new respect. She was quite sly and he had assumed that she was the most oblivious person he has ever come in contact with. He had promised Tsunayoshi, to not cause his mother so much trouble but, he knew after that psychologist got involved, it would be inevitable. Even though, he was taken off guard by Nana's tactics he still presented himself with an air of poise. He then answered. "Ietsuna. Sawada Ietsuna. Tsuna for short."

"What a lovely name!" Nana exclaimed. Her second son's name was even as beautiful as his eyes. She felt so lucky to be mother to such a being. "Well, it's nice to me you. It's nice to know that I have another son. Mother gets really lonely, you know."

Ietsuna didn't say a word; he just smiled and continued his eating. Nana really had a way to a man's heart. His dead-beat of a father was lucky. He reminded himself to give the bastard, a few whacks to the head for leaving such a saint to worry over his worthless self. Nana watched endearingly as her other's son personality continue to eat. It was almost like watching her own little boy. However, this person before her was more confident in his actions whilst her son, of who she was more familiar with, ate timidly as if the world was watching him place every grain of rice into his mouth.

But Nana, already knew that Ietsuna wasn't so bad after all. Any boy who respected his mother wasn't such a bad apple.

Chapter End

* * *

Ietsuna- I didn't make this up. Supposedly, Akira Amano used the given names of the Tokugawa clan for the names of Tsuna's family lineage (Tsunayoshi, Iemitsu and Ieyasu (aka Giotto)). According to Wikipedia, Tsunayoshi Tokugawa had an elder brother named Ietsuna Tokugawa. Ietsuna and Tsunayoshi are both sons to Iemitsu Tokugawa...so I thought this name would fit Tsuna's other personality, perfectly. Also, since the both of them go by the nickname, Tsuna, I thought it would cleverly explain why Tsuna's dual personality was not noticed before.

Author's note:

Hope you enjoyed it. Although, it's really short. More to come soon.


	2. The Deal

The Other Me

A Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fanfiction

Disclaimer: All rights go to Akira Amano. I am just creatively using her characters and I am not profiting from this.

Chapter Two: The Deal

As early as he could remember Tsuna always had this strange part inside him. Although, doormat, he knew that there was some foreign entity there. But over the years, this essence grew stronger in its manifestation. First, it had started with little things. Like the dog he had scared off with a simple glare or even destroying a younger kid's sandcastle or even that one time, he pushed a kid off the swings because the boy had skipped him. Then these little things gradually became larger. Becoming so irate with his elementary school teacher for calling him stupid and challenging him to a fight and even more recently, beating his father with sake bottle (which he kind of enjoyed but that was beside the point). So, when it was suggested that he go to a psychologist to figure out what new torment God sent him, he was ready. Tsuna wanted to know what was happening to him. Normally, he wouldn't even thinking of doing such things. Usually, he took a pretty pacifistic stand to violence, opting to be the punching bag than the one who threw the punches. And if he didn't nip this in the butt now, who knows what could happen. So, Tsuna complied with his mother's wishes and spoke with doctor.

After a couple sessions, the truth was revealed….he was crazy. Not really. Somehow he had developed another personality. Tsuna didn't know why his mind would do that. Nothing horrific had happened in his life, so that there was no need for such a thing. He had lived a very normal life and yet, this personality was here. Then he decided if this thing was here to stay then he mind as well try to befriend it.

That night he attempted to call this persona. At first, the brunette began with sitting in his room waiting, while quietly uttering "hello". Nothing. He then raised his voice; perhaps his second personality couldn't hear him. Still nothing. He then calmed his body and his mind, perhaps in the darkness behind his eyelids he would find him. But after uncomfortably sitting for several minutes in the same position, he gave up. He wasn't good at concentration anyway. Then, finally he was successful. He fell asleep from the fatigue of the hopeless effort of trying to contact his alter ego and once he fell into a state of subconscious, he found him. Or rather, his alter ego found him.

It was almost like looking at a mirror image of himself and that alone placed shivers down his spine. The only thing that was off about his alter ego's similar appearance was his eyes, which were gleaming with this orange glow. At first, Tsuna thought a demon had entered his body but the more he stared into the depths of the other's eyes, he realized that this being was no demon. There was no mistaking it. This mirror image was him or a part of him.

"H-hello." Tsuna stammered on his greeting. "Are you the one, who's been-?"

The figure cut Tsuna off and answered. "Yes."

There was silence. He didn't know how to follow up after affirmation. Heck, he didn't even know how he would handle a negative reply. An icebreaker floated to the brunette, in hopes that the conversation would become less awkward. "What's your name?"

"Ietsuna." His mirror image responded.

"Ietsuna?" Tsuna repeated. He watched as the other nodded his head and went back to staring at him blankly. Tsuna continued to keep the conversation going. "M-my name is Tsunayoshi but, I guess you know that already."

Ietsuna nodded in agreement. He then finally uttered a longer response than the one worded replies that he had been answering with. "Yes, I know. You are my host after all. I know everything about you."

"Everything?!" The brunette shrieked. It wasn't often that you hear that someone knew everything about you.

Tsuna watched as his alter ego slowly formed a grin. Ietsuna then looked at his host mischievously. "Yes…even about that girl you liked. What was her name again? Kyo-"

The brunette stopped him from saying anymore. Not only was it embarrassing but, it was in the past now. He was in junior high school when he had developed this crush. He was now in high school and knew there was no hope in getting Kyoko to notice him. A fact, he was slowly coming to terms with, each coming day. "Don't say it out loud! Someone might hear you!"

"Don't worry. We are in your mind. No one can hear us." Ietsuna smiled reassuringly at Tsuna.

"Oh that's right." Tsuna said, relieved.

As his host took a few breaths of relief, Ietsuna began to ponder the reason why Tsuna was here. "Did you come to scold me about hitting your father?" Ietsuna asked Tsuna, looking the brunette in the eye. Yet, the alter ego could not see anything within the brown orbs to confirm this. He continued with a slight sneer. "The bastard had it coming."

Tsuna shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I just wanted to meet you."

Tsuna's alter ego raised an eyebrow. "Meet me?"

"Yep!" The brunette confirmed. "I hoped that we could be friends, since we share the same body."

"Friends?" Ietsuna questioned.

Ietsuna watched the timid boy regress and his host's eyes shying away from him and focusing on his small hands. Tsuna spoke slowly, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Well, of course you know that I'm known as No Good Tsuna. So I'm not good enough to have friends. And I was hoping at least the both of us could have a good relationship."

Tsuna's alter ego was back to grinning. Ietsuna placed his hands on hips and asked contemptuously. "Don't you think that's kind of pathetic being friends with your alter ego?"

"I guess so…it is kind of pathetic." Tsuna replied, rethinking his boldness to ask Ietsuna to be his friend. It was pitiable and very stupid of him.

The alter ego observed his host's dampened mood and rolled his eyes. He then said, "I don't mind."

"Huh?" Tsuna looked up to Ietsuna wondering if he heard him correctly.

Ietsuna sighed heavily and explained the reason for agreeing to befriend his host. "If we could have a good relationship that would be the best. The reason I am here is because of you, after all."

The brunette pointed to himself, surprised. "Because of me?"

Ietsuna nodded but did not elaborate. Tsuna wanted him to further explain what he meant but he didn't want to pry the truth from Ietsuna. Perhaps, his alter ego would tell him when he was ready to. But even more than the nagging feeling he had about Ietsuna's appearance, he was even happier to have won the other's friendship.

Tsuna asked. "Can we make a deal?"

His other self turned to him with interest. "Deal?"

"Can we cut down on the violence?" Tsuna smiled nervously as he revealed his request of Ietsuna. Although, it seemed that his mother had accepted her "new" son's violent ways, didn't mean Tsuna wanted to become a delinquent of sorts.

"Can't do…" Was Ietsuna's stubborn counter. It wasn't that being violent was a big thing to him, it was just one of his strong traits and Ietsuna couldn't very well suppress something so natural to him.

"Why not?!" Tsuna retorted back. If Ietsuna kept emerging and beating up people, his No Good reputation would be blemished forever.

Ietsuna's tawny eyes darkened and focused on his timid other. "I'm not a pacifist, Tsunayoshi. If someone disrespects us or even dares to bully us…I should have every right to beat the crap out of them. It's my way of doing things."

"But, I don't want you to hurt people." Tsuna pleaded. He knew he was asking for a lot but, this was his body, his mind and Ietsuna just suddenly inhabited it. He had every right to ask for this. Tsuna was his host, no matter how weird it sounded.

"Fine, I'll try to keep it to a minimum." He finally submitted to Tsuna, even if grudgingly. But unbeknownst to Tsuna, Ietsuna placed two fingers behind his back, allowing him to disregard the promise he made with his host.

"Thank you." Tsuna beamed brightly at his alter ego and Ietsuna tried with all his might not get sucked in by his host's luminous smile. It was starting to make him feel guilty.

Chapter Two End

* * *

Host – The reason why Ietsuna calls Tsuna his host is because Tsuna is the original personality. So, Tsuna's alter ego is not a demon (if you have speculated this). Host is a psychological term for the main personality- I got this from my psychology friends at school, so don't quote me!

Author's note: Short chapter. I promise they will get longer as I go…but, I'm still figuring out what kind of interactions Tsunayoshi and Ietsuna would have with the other characters in the story. By chapter three, I should have a good idea on which direction this story is going to in.

Kiasyn asked, if uke-Tsuna would be replaced by his dying will self…in the beginning, Uke-Tsuna is out more than Dying will Tsuna but perhaps later, Tsuna's alter ego would try to replace him. I haven't figured it out yet but…DW Tsuna wouldn't replace our Tunafish.

By the way, thank you to those who has submitted a review or even gave this story a hit. I'm glad people like my idea. Please continue to show this story love and I hope I don't disappoint. Suggestions are welcome, as long as good intentions are behind them.


	3. The Teenage Terrorist

The Other Me

A Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, I'm just creatively using her characters. All rights to Akira Amano.

* * *

Chapter Three: The Teenage Terrorist

Like any other morning, the brunette slept soundlessly past the awakening hours of the high school student. Undisturbed by his busy mother preparing his lunch and breakfast, the heavy sleeper continued to slumber closer to tardiness. The clattering of dishes or the slight pang of pots and pans brushing each other did not awaken the other out of his slumber. Growing worried, his mother looked at the clock seeing that if her son didn't wake up soon he would be late for school. Nana took her place at the foot of stairs and called up.

"Tsu-kun! You're going to be late!" She yelled, her voice full of urgency.

Tsuna sleepily dug himself deeper into his covers. Five more minutes and he would get up. However, some nagging instinct told him to look at the time. Sluggishly, the young teen, turned over to his side and peeked his head out of his covers. His blurred vision looked over at his alarm clock that had attempted to wake him up just an hour ago. Once his vision cleared, he realized that it was five minutes past eight o' clock. He screamed, "Hiiiii! Mom! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!"

As Nana heard her son scrambling upstairs to place on his clothes, she snickered to herself and honestly replied, "I tried but you wouldn't budge until now."

After five minutes of hurried preparations for the day, her son raced down the stairs. His hair was a wild mess, his tie was tangled, his shirt was out of his pants and his school bag was obviously stuffed to rim with books and sheets of paper. As Tsuna swiftly ate his breakfast and grabbed his lunch, Nana tried her best to do something about her son's tie and messy hair. However, she could not complete her task with the interjection of her son's whine. She sometimes forgot that her son was seventeen, almost a man.

In a flash, her son was already by the door, placing on his shoes. "Bye!" Tsuna exclaimed as he went to the door.

Not too far behind him was Nana and she dismissed him. "Come back safely."

_This is all because I stayed up all night talking to Ietsuna! _Tsuna scolded himself as he raced down the street blocks. Although, he was glad he was able to befriend his split personality, he felt that perhaps their conversation lasted a bit too long. After, Ietsuna had promised to not be so violent, they began talking about other things. He found out lots of things about his split personality and realized that Ietsuna wasn't as violent as he perceived. There was a more sly and cunning side to his alter-ego as well. Tsuna figured that's where all his intelligence went. Ietsuna was fairly interesting, even more interesting than himself. He was kind of envious that his alter-ego got the better qualities but he was still content that he could befriend someone like him.

Caught up in his musings, Tsuna was too distracted to notice the silver haired person in front of him. Since the brunette was in such a hurry to get to school on time, he ended up crashing into the other. Quickly, Tsuna regained himself and apologized. "I'm very sorry!"

"Che." The silver haired boy sneered as he glared at Tsuna, making the smaller boy stiffen in fear. "Will you watch where the fuck you're going?!"

Tsuna continued to apologize, adding emphasis by bowing lowly. "I'm very sorry."

After many apologies uttered by the brunette, the silver haired boy lost interest in the whole affair and walked off. The brown haired teen slowly stood up watching the annoyed figure walk off. Tsuna sighed heavily, glad he was able to leave the situation unscathed. Usually, if he did something like that, he received a knuckle sandwich.

Someone commented behind him. "Wasn't that Gokudera Hayato? He's always in a bad mood."

"Y-yep!" Tsuna stuttered, both surprised and overjoyed that someone was talking to him. The brunette turned around to see a tall boy beaming at him. Tsuna's eyes nearly bugged out. The captain of his school's baseball team was talking to him. Yamamoto Takeshi, as known as, Mr. Popular was talking to him! Unbelievable!

The baseball team captain looked to Tsuna and realized that the other was very familiar. Then it dawned upon him that the brunette could be one of his fellow classmates. Yamamoto questioned. "Aren't you in my class?"

"Uh huh. I'm Tsunayoshi. Sawada Tsunayoshi." He quickly answered.

"Yeah, No Good Tsuna, right?" Yamamoto chuckled.

"Unfortunately." Tsuna replied dejectedly.

Yamamoto kept up his perfect smile and chortled. "You're always doing funny things. Do you do things badly on purpose?"

_The truth is I work really hard not to fail at life._ Tsuna stated mentally but he answered more humbly to the baseball team captain. "Not really."

The tall boy made a slight "oh" upon hearing this revelation but, it looked awkward since he was still smiling. He then said, encouragingly. "I see. I guess the most important thing is that you try your best."

"I guess you're right." Tsuna agreed. He didn't know why but he felt a little better about himself after Yamamoto said that.

Yamamoto looked at his watch and realized that they were running late. He then smiled at Tsuna and suggested that they continue heading to school. "Oh! We should probably start getting to school. That strict guy will have our hides if we don't."

"Right." Tsuna replied as he followed after the captain.

For most of their journey, Yamamoto did most of the talking and Tsuna listened. The brunette didn't mind, it was better than listening to his own thoughts. And he enjoyed Yamamoto's company, he was much more interesting than he was and it was nice to hear about something new. Baseball was such a fascinating sport. Tsuna had always perceived the sport as boring but realized that it was because he didn't know what was going on. But even more so, Yamamoto described the sport so enthusiastically that Tsuna couldn't help but be affected by the baseball fanatic's infectious fervor.

When they got to school, he had expected Yamamoto to never talk to him again but, he was wrong. He found that the baseball captain made a huge effort to keep in contact. Every now and then, they would have lunch together, if Yamamoto was not hanging out with his peers or at practice. Tsuna was very pleased to have the other's attention but other people weren't so accepting. One individual in particular, did not like it at all….

* * *

Even since he bumped into Gokudera the other day, the silver haired boy had been giving him hell. He had thought the other had forgotten all about it, but from the other's ominous attention, he assumed that the Gokudera was still sore about what happened. The girls made jokes and the boys were anticipating the day that Gokudera finally pulverized him. Tsuna was just praying that all of this would blow over. Fat chance.

For now, until Gokudera finally confronted him, he tried his best to ignore it. However, the more he grew aware of it…the more he couldn't help but feel the other's burning gaze or even to check if the other was still glaring at him. When he had finally perfected in ignoring the intimidating student, Gokudera had opted for other ways to gain his attention. During gym class, Gokudera deliberately parried a volleyball in his direction, causing the ball to strike the brunette at the back of his head. At lunch time, he made quick work of stealing his lunch and devouring its contents in front of him, but at least he was kind enough to return his bento for cleaning. And Tsuna was getting really annoyed by snide comments uttered by Gokudera during attendance or passing each other in the hall.

It had been a week of this torture and Tsuna couldn't take it anymore. He had been bullied a lot in his life but for some reason, Gokudera's bullying affected him a lot more. Mostly because he felt that the delinquent would actually do some harm to him. Part of him wanted to call out Ietsuna to teach Gokudera a lesson, but he knew that was a bad idea and not the right way to solve his problems. However, Tsuna didn't think he would be able to handle it if this continued. As he walked home alone, the brunette contemplated how he could peaceful resolve this problem.

"Tsuna-san!" A voice called from behind.

The brunette thought the voice was very familiar and at first, he thought his ears were playing tricks on him. However, when he looked back, he realized that his hearing appendage had not failed him. "Kyoko-chan?"

The girl he had been in love with ever since junior high walked up to him. However, his old crush was not as cheerful as he remembered. Instead, she looked worried. For a moment or two, it seemed as if Kyoko was fighting with herself but finally she expressed what was on her mind. "How have you being doing? I heard you're being bullied by Gokudera-san."

Tsuna felt ashamed that his problem with Gokudera had gotten to Kyoko. It was a blow to his manhood and he wondered if Kyoko even viewed him as a man anymore. "It's really not that bad. I'm sure he'll get bored sooner or later."

"Are you sure?" She asked, her concern apparent.

Tsuna nodded, forcing a smile. "I'm positive."

Kyoko slowly smiled. "Well, okay. Take care of yourself, then."

If it was the him of a couple of years ago, he would have been overjoyed. However, he had given up on his unrequited love for Kyoko. Her concern for him did not change this. Instead of seeing it as a show of endearment, he saw it more as worrying over a fellow classmate. Nothing more, nothing less. He smiled. "Thank you."

He ignored the slight blush to her cheeks as she walked off. It didn't mean anything. She didn't mean for it to be anything more. As Tsuna watched his old crush walked in an opposite direction of his own, he began to think of how foolish he was for ever thinking there could be something between them. He bitterly turned away from her fleeting image and focused on getting home.

"So?" Another voice called from behind him. "Is she your girlfriend?"

The smell of cigarette smoke caught Tsuna before the question. But the cancerous second hand smoke didn't bother him, from living in Japan, he had gotten used to it. Tsuna slowly turned around to face his bully. "Huh? Kyoko-chan?"

"Yes." Gokudera spat.

"She's not my girlfriend." Tsuna said defensively. "Kyoko-chan is a nice girl…so leave her alone. T-this has nothing to do with her."

There was a pause before the silver haired bully replied. "Good."

"…."Tsuna was confused. He had thought that Gokudera wanted to attack Kyoko, but he was now realizing that the other was happy that he wasn't with her. "I-I don't understand."

"No one should be with you." Gokudera stated.

_Ouch._ Tsuna felt the sting of the insult in his chest, the burning, suffocating feeling of having to bite back his tears. "Why-why do you hate me so much? Didn't I apologize for bumping into you?"

Gokudera eyes widened. "What are you talking about?! I don't hate you, tenth."

"Huh?" Tsuna looked at his classmate, dumbfounded. "But, haven't you been bullying me this whole time?"

The silver haired boy's demeanor changed. No longer was he intimidating but the other's actions were more careful, modest and maybe even diffident. "Bullying? I would never do that to the tenth. I just wanted tenth's attention."

"My attention?" The brunette repeated. The young protagonist was then struck by another revelation. Gokudera had been referring to him as "the tenth". Tsuna decided to ask the reason behind this strange title. "And why do you keep calling me, tenth?"

"Well, you were the tenth person to bump into me that morning. But, you were the only one, I didn't sock for invading my space. So that makes, tenth, special." Gokudera explained.

_O-Kay?_ Tsuna thought to himself. Thinking in retrospect, he did remember the girls in his class, joking about this. He had overheard one girl saying Gokudera and Tsuna's situation was very similar in shoujo manga, the guy/ girl bullied their love interest to get their attention. Tsuna thought that it was impossible at the time but now, he wasn't so sure. "So, what are you saying, Gokudera-san?"

"I'm saying I want to go out with the tenth." Gokudera said bluntly, his emerald eyes determined. At first, Gokudera was standing tall but soon he wavered. He watched as the other kneeled on the ground before him and began to plead. "Even though, I know I'm not worthy. If the tenth could give me a chance to prove myself…"

_What the-_ The perturbed brunette gazed at the kneeling ex-bully. Did he hear what he just thought, he heard? Did Gokudera just ask him out and was he….begging?! Tsuna didn't know what to say. He had never been confessed to and he would never imagine being approached by a guy. But here he was and now, he had a decision to make. "Well…okay."

Gokudera paused in his begging and looked up at Tsuna. He couldn't believe his ears. "Really?"

Tsuna nodded. He didn't want to hurt Gokudera's feelings because he knew how hard it was to gain the courage to tell him this. Plus, no one was lining up to go out with him, whether male or the opposite sex. What did he have to lose anyway? He was still young. He could make mistakes. And if it didn't work out…at least he gave Gokudera a chance. Right? Right?!

He just wondered how his parents and Ietsuna would take this. Especially, Ietsuna.

Chapter Three End

________________________

Author's Note: I think I need to explain….in this Fanfiction, the mafia is in here but Tsuna and co…are not involved ( excluding Dino, Reborn and the Varia) …as of yet. So, I tried to figure out a legitimate way for Gokudera to approach Tsuna. Obviously, he would not approach our tunafish, hoping to succeed the tenth boss (like in the anime or manga) but perhaps, he would reach out to him in anoter destructive way. The reason why I developed Gokudera's crush this way, is because he's been a loner for a most of his life. Sometimes, when you've been a loner for so long, it's hard to express your feelings for others. So, people use the only method that they know to gain someone's attention, in Gokudera's case bullying.

I'm kind of speeding up the story. It's not going to be longer than twenty chapters…maybe and I have a lot of ideas I want to explore. So, I fixed Tsuna up with Gokudera. But 8027 fans, do not despair. Yamamoto is not out of the picture, yet.

Thank you for reading my story and I hope you continue to read it. Please review, it keeps me motivated and also if there are any suggestions, feel free to express them.


	4. The Twins

The Other Me

A Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, I'm just creatively using Akira Amano's characters.

Chapter Four: The Twins

As soon as Tsuna got home from school, he began to figure out ways he could break the news to Ietsuna. In the case of his parents, he felt he didn't have to let them know as of yet. For now, he would keep this secret from his mother, even though Tsuna knew that she would be overjoyed. Plus, his father was hardly there, so Tsuna didn't have to worry about that. The real problem was Ietsuna. Tsuna had no idea how the other would react to his news and he was even more wary of the other's reaction because of how violent he could be. God knows, the brunette didn't want Ietsuna's violent temper directed towards him. So all afternoon, Tsuna pondered a good way to bring this up to his alter-ego.

Later that night…

It was pretty late at night, his mother must have went to bed by now and so, the brunette was the only one up in his house. He was so worried about telling Ietsuna, that he was unable to do his homework. Tsuna decided he should start readying himself for bed. Perhaps, when he finally hit the sack, he would develop an even better plan or just tell his split personality how it was, hoping the other would still viewed him the same way. He dressed into his pajamas and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once he entered the bathroom, he turned on the water rinsing off his toothbrush and placing a sufficient amount of toothpaste on it. He placed the grooming utensil in his mouth and began scrubbing away plague and the other harmful bacteria in his mouth. Unbeknownst to him, the mirror above the sink began to distort. Suddenly, he heard his alter-ego's voice resonate within the room.

_**So? You finally came out the closet? **_Ietsunaasked.

Tsuna nearly choked on his tooth paste. He gagged and then coughed violently, his body shook from his near- death experience. After, he gained control of his breathing; he began looking around for his alter-ego. However, when his brown eyes passed over the empty bathroom, he realized the impossibility of his split personality materializing himself in this very room. The brunette swallowed hard, was he just imagining it? Perhaps, he was so nervous about telling Ietsuna that he started hallucinating.

Ietsuna tried to direct him to where he was_**. You're not going crazy. I'm over here.**_

Ietsuna's voice spoke again. Tsuna's eyes widen, realizing that his other persona's voice was close by. Once more he frantically scanned his bathroom but he could not find him.

_**In front of you, Tsunayoshi. **_His alter- ego impatiently said.

Tsuna slowly turned towards the mirror above the sink and he was shocked to see Ietsuna's reflection staring back at him. The brunette gulped, wondering what his split personality had in stored for him. He then forced a smile. "Good evening, Ietsuna."

_**Good evening, Tsunayoshi. **_His alter-ego greeted with a slight smirk._** Is there anything you wanted to tell me?**_

The brunette couldn't help but frown at his split personality's reflection. "You already know…don't you?"

Ietsuna confirmed._** Already knew that you were gay? Yes, I knew.**_

"What?!" Tsuna exclaimed upon hearing Ietsuna's blunt statement. "I'm not gay. Gokudera was the one who asked me out…not the other way around."

However, the reflection in the mirror was not convinced. Ietsuna then questioned. _**But, when Gokudera had confessed to you…did you think it was disgusting to go out with a guy?**_

"No, I just thought it wouldn't be so bad. But even so, I believe it shouldn't matter who you love. Whether it is a male or female." Tsuna confessed adamantly.

_**And you gave up on Kyoko-chan so easily, too.**_ Tsuna's glowing eyed twin added.

Tsuna looked back at his alter-ego and sighed. "That was because, Kyoko-chan, deserves someone better."

Ietsuna stated. _**Come now, Tsunayoshi. I know you better than anyone else.**_

"…." Tsuna was silent. He had nothing to say to that. Ietsuna was him, in a sense, and it would make sense that his alter-ego knew things that he did not know about himself.

Tsuna's alter-ego began sincerely. _**It's okay. I wouldn't hate you. I'm the same as you and if people truly care for you...it shouldn't matter that you play for the other team.**_

"Ietsuna!" The brunette yelled at the mirror. He was never going to live this down.

_**What? **_His split personality said innocently. He then continued with a grin._** Speaking about teams, you were getting pretty close with that Yamamoto Takeshi. Beware, he could be after your virgin ass, too.**_

The brunette found himself yelling at the mirror even more. "Shut up! Plus…Yamamoto doesn't swing that way!"

Suddenly, there was a sudden knock at the door. For a moment, Tsuna and Ietsuna both looked at each other but the protagonist was the only one who was flustered. Their mother's voice drifted from the other side of the door. "Tsu-kun. Who are you talking to?"

For a while, Tsuna looked to Ietsuna for a good answer. His alter ego just shrugged his shoulders and allowed his host to take care of it. So, the brunette just decided to be honest. "Um…I'm talking to…. myself, Mom."

There was silence and then his very understanding mother answered back. "Oh? Well, use your inside voice, dear."

"Okay." Tsuna said quietly and he waited a few moments before he looked back at the mirror. Ietsuna was patiently waiting as well as holding back his laughter. The brunette continued, "Yamamoto is not gay! He's always around girls."

_**Yeah…but, has he ever gone out with any of them? **_Ietsuna asked.

The brunette replied with uncertainty. "Not that I know of."

His alter-ego swore with a smirk. _**Believe me. He's as gay as the rainbow.**_

After talking with Ietsuna, he began to question Yamamoto's sexual preferences along with rethinking the sexuality of some his male classmates in school. However, he was even more skeptical of how his alter-ego was getting his information from. "How do you know all this?"

_**Let's just say, I have excellent intuition.**_ Ietsuna boasted.

_Perhaps, too excellent._ Tsuna thought to himself.

_**I heard that.**_His alter-ego informed his host.

"I'm going to bed." Tsuna announced before he turned away from the mirror, heading towards the door.

But before Tsuna could exit, Ietsuna gave him a wonderful parting gift._** Well, have sweet gay dreams about Yamamoto taking you to third base.**_

Tsuna paused in his step, unable to hide the redness in his face from his alter-ego. Instead of uttering a comeback or a snide comment, he decided to continue on to bed. Even if he said something, he would be unable to compete with his alter-ego. Yet, Tsuna had learned a very useful fact: Ietsuna sure was an asshole, sometimes.

* * *

The next morning, Tsuna had managed to get up in a timely fashion. Even his mother was impressed. For the first time, in a while, Tsuna was stepping out of his house not in a rush to get to school on time. As he based the gates of his home, his eyes met with emerald orbs. Obediently waiting for the brunette outside was the silver haired pup.

"Tenth!" Gokudera greeted Tsuna.

"Oh…Hi, Gokudera." The brunette greeted the other but Tsuna was confused about something. "Um… how did you find my address? I don't remember giving it to you."

"Before I gained the courage to speak to the tenth, I followed the tenth home everyday." Gokudera admitted, happily.

_**A gay stalker…what an awesome combination. **_Tsuna heard Ietsuna retort at Gokudera's confession. Tsuna was already bothered by the declaration and he didn't need his alter-ego making it worse for him.

_Shut up!_ The brunette mentally barked at Ietsuna, who was laughing at his host's attempt to silence him. Tsuna turned to Gokudera and smiled. "Let's walk to school."

The walk to school was pretty awkward for Tsuna. It had dawned upon him that he was going out with Gokudera. He had been so worried about his parents and Ietsuna that he had completely forgotten to prepare himself for this. The brunette didn't know anything about relationships or the like. He was totally clueless. Throughout their walk, he began wondering if he was supposed to do something romantic or even affectionate. And once more, Tsuna came upon another revelation; he didn't know how to be loving! Just yesterday, Gokudera was nothing more than a bully but now, he was something different. He was his boyfriend! The protagonist had no idea how to act around him but more so, his lack of knowledge was prompted by the fear of Gokudera regressing into a bully once more.

"Tenth?" His companion's voice dispersed his thoughts.

The brunette looked to Gokudera and answered nervously. "Y-yes?"

Tsuna watched as Gokudera turned to him in all seriousness. "Can I hold your hand?"

The spiky haired boy blinked. "Huh?"

"Is it too early for that? I understand if Tenth wants to take it slow. Tenth doesn't have to rush. I can behave myself. " Gokudera spoke so fast that the speed of his words rivaled the Shinkansen (1).

As he gazed at Gokudera, the other's expression seemed very much like a kicked pup. Feeling guilty, Tsuna decided to take a hold of the other's hand. "I don't mind." He said softly.

"Tenth?" Gokudera said in surprise and then quickly took a hold of Tsuna's hand, as if the brunette could take back his words any minute. Tsuna found himself blushing at how warm, the silver haired boy's hand was. Just having his hand held by the other made his heart rate speed up. He never felt this way with Kyoko. Perhaps, Ietsuna was right. Maybe he was in denial the whole time. Maybe he knew things couldn't work between him and Kyoko because he didn't really like her. Perhaps, the bigger picture was that he didn't like women at all. Whatever the reason, Tsuna was sure that holding Gokudera's hand felt very right.

As Tsuna and Gokudera neared the school, they were being observed by two individuals sitting in a tree. The taller figure was male with a distinguishable blue hair and heterochromatic red and blues eyes. The smallest of the pair was a girl with violet hair and eyes. However, one of her eyes was covered with an eye patch. Both donned a similar pineapple hairstyle and Namimori school uniforms. As the pair approached, a pineapple was dropped from above with an aim to hit someone. Luckily, the fruit had missed Tsuna by a few inches.

"Where did that come from?" Tsuna questioned.

"Kufufu. Oops. I truly meant to hit you. Next time, I'll be sure to get it right." The blue haired boy announced his presence.

Tsuna and Gokudera looked up to two the pair in the tree. The brunette recognized the mischievous duo as Rokudo Mukuro and Dokuro Chrome or by the "Twins", for short. Although, these mischief makers were not actually siblings by blood, the duo still coordinated by appearance giving people the impression that they were brother and sister. The pair was the cause of most of the mayhem on the school grounds. Although, these acts were usually led, planned and initiated by Mukuro, Chrome humbly followed after her brother-like figure's actions. And for those who tried to stand against him, those brave individuals were promptly attacked by the loyal Ken Joshima and Chikusa Kakimoto or handled personally by Mukuro himself. Going up against such a group is never recommended and was no wonder that Tsuna's danger senses was going off.

Enraged by what the imps of Namimori had nearly done to Tsuna, Gokudera took out dynamite from an unknown place and threatening waves the explosives around. "Fucking Twins!"

"Oya oya? Did we anger you? It's all in good fun." Mukuro smirked at the silver haired boy's display. He was not intimidated by Gokudera dynamite.

_**I knew he was crazy. He'll probably threaten to blow himself up if you break up with him. Boy, you know how to pick them, Tsunayoshi.**_ Ietsuna commented on Gokudera's actions. Nonetheless, his alter-ego was not helping the situation and it was becoming more and more obvious that Ietsuna didn't like Gokudera, either.

Tsuna ignored Ietsuna and tried his best to calm his boyfriend down. "Gokudera! Please, put that away."

"You should listen to your girlfriend? She has common sense." Mukuro taunted as he jumped down from the tree, he was perched on.

Tsuna turned to Mukuro and corrected. "Actually, I'm a boy."

The mischief maker's grin widened and he looked up in the tree to Chrome. "Kufufu. See, Chrome, I wasn't making it up. There is a such thing as a transvestite."

The violet haired girl gazed at Tsuna, curiously. "I see. Nii-san. You were right. They do exist."

"What?!" Tsuna shrieked at the false allegation.

"For making fun of the tenth, I'll kill you!" Gokudera threatened. They were giving more reasons why he should blow them to bits.

Tsuna's alter-ego agreed. _**For that…I think he should die, too.**_

_Ietsuna! You're not helping! _Tsuna argued back. If things continued this way, he was sure Ietsuna would come out and start trouble. Not only would Gokudera find out about his condition but also the Twins. He couldn't allow his secret to be known. It was hard living life as No Good Tsuna, but to live through his high school life as Straight Jacket Tsuna, would be horrendous.

Mukuro crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged off Gokudera's threats. "Not that your little toys scare me, but I was only joking around. You should lighten up. You're like that bird guy. Always taking things seriously."

"No offense taken." Tsuna chimed in, grabbing on to the silver haired bomber's arm.

Gokudera looked to Tsuna, surprised. "But, tenth…"

Tsuna ignored the silver haired boy and tried to persuade Mukuro. "Let's forget that the whole thing happened. The school bell is about to ring."

"Well, I guess I can let you two go. It's almost time to fool around with the bird man." Mukuro said thoughtfully. Then he stepped towards the brunette, cupping his chin. "But you owe me, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Not taking a liking to how close Mukuro was getting to Tsuna, Gokudera moved to strike the blue haired delinquent. Gokudera got into arms reach of Mukuro, grabbing the delinquent shirt and fisting the fabric, angrily. "Get your filthy hands off…"

"Excuse us." The small boy pulled his classmate away from Mukuro and ushered him away from the twins. If they stayed any longer, a fight was bound to break out.

Once, they were inside the building Tsuna felt it was safe enough to let go of Gokudera's arm. The brunette knew that he was still upset about their interaction with the Twins. Tsuna prepared himself for the other to yell at him for allowing Mukuro to treat him they way he did. His pacificism left a bad taste in his mouth as well. He wasn't proud of his actions but it was the only way he could keep the peace.

Gokudera watched as his Tsuna silently slipped off his shoes and placed on the standard slippers that were to be worn inside the school building. He wanted to yell but he felt that he could never raise his voice when speaking to the tenth. "Tenth, why did you stop me? They disrespected you."

"I didn't want you to get hurt, Gokudera. You know that the Twins are bad news." Tsuna frowned.

"Still!" Gokudera started but realized that he was becoming irate again. He didn't want Tsuna to think he was mad at him, so he softened his tone. "That gives them no right to…"

"I know." The smaller boy agreed. Tsuna looked to Gokudera and smiled sweetly. "But, thank you for standing up for me."

Tsuna's smile was very contagious and Gokudera couldn't help by beam at the brunette. "Sure. Anytime, tenth."

The brunette took the silver haired bomber's hand and suggested. "Come on, let's go to class."

Gokudera didn't need to be told twice. He allowed Tsuna to lead him by hand to class. The bomber didn't care if anyone saw or if people talked about them, nothing could stop him from holding a firm grip on Tsuna's delicate hand.

* * *

Yamamoto had noticed that Tsuna and Gokudera sudden closeness. He thought it was pretty odd that just yesterday, Gokudera was bullying Tsuna, but now they seem like really close friends. And he wasn't the only one to notice, the girls in their class were making a huge spectacle of it and the guys were making wise cracks. Plus, Tsuna and Gokudera weren't hiding it either. For some reason, this did not sit well with Yamamoto. From that day he first spoke to Tsuna, he was hooked in a sense. There just something about Tsuna that he couldn't resist. And so, to further assess the situation, he decided to have lunch with Tsuna. When Yamamoto came to the roof, the place that Tsuna usually ate, he was not surprised to be confronted by the bomber.

"Step the fuck off!" Gokudera warned Yamamoto but the taller boy was not fazed at all.

"Maa maa. It's a free country, isn't it?" The baseball fanatic smiled at Gokudera. To Yamamoto, Gokudera wasn't intimidating at all. He seemed more like a puppy, barking to scare him off. But, Yamamoto was not afraid of Gokudera's bark or bite. He was more afraid of what he might find out today. He asked. "Why can't I eat lunch with Tsuna?"

Gokudera shook his fist at the carefree baseball captain. He never liked Yamamoto. The Baseball captain was always smiling his phony grin and everyone kissed the ground he walked on. Gokudera definitely didn't want such a fake person around Tsuna. "Because, I'm eating lunch with him, baseball idiot!"

Yamamoto blinked. "So?"

"So, that means you can't join us!" Gokudera countered. "Don't you have cheerleaders to eat with?"

"Nope. They're too busy cheering or something." The taller boy smirked at Gokudera and he could tell that the bomber was getting more agitated by his presence. "What? Afraid that'll take him away from you?"

At first, Gokudera looked at the baseball captain in shock. But quickly his shock turned into conviction. "Your true nature finally comes out. I knew your ass was phony!"

"Being friendly is not phony" Yamamoto defended himself. "But I do have an ulterior motive."

The bomber pointed his finger at the taller boy. "I knew it!"

While Gokudera was taking in this revelation, Yamamoto decided to take the empty seat next to Tsuna's fish shaped bento. Before, Gokudera could say anything; Yamamoto was already unpacking the contents of his own lunch. Gokudera shouted at him. "Get the hell up! You're not sitting with us, bastard!"

Ignoring Gokudera's shouts, the baseball captain asked. "Where is Tsuna, anyway?"

"None of your fucking business." Growled the silver haired boy, who was switching Tsuna's spot with his own. At least with this arrangement, the brunette would not be sitting with the baseball idiot. Yamamoto didn't take Gokudera's actions seriously. He was flattered that the other saw him as a threat. The baseball captain continued to eat his lunch, hoping that Tsuna would arrive soon.

Meanwhile,

Tsuna just finished washing his hands under the faucet and now he was drying his hands with a handkerchief. Placing the plain handkerchief into his pocket, the brunette began heading back to the roof to have lunch with Gokudera. However, a dark figure obstructed his pathway.

"Tsunayoshi-kun." Mukuro called from the doorway.

Surprised, the brunette looked to the midnight haired trouble maker. Tsuna stuttered out. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I've come for what you owe me." The delinquent said darkly. Tsuna eyed Mukuro apprehensively as the figure walked into the bathroom with him. He was getting a bad vibe from Mukuro.

"What do you want?" Asked the bewildered brunette.

Mukuro closed the door behind him and leaned on the only exit. The midnight haired mischief maker explained. "Letting the both of you go unscathed was a big blow to my reputation and I want compensation."

"Compensation?" Tsuna repeated and then he dug inside his pockets, taking out a bunch of coins and small bills. "Well, I don't have a lot of money."

"Kufufu. I don't want that." Mukuro laughed at the smaller boy's naïveté. He then stepped toward Tsuna. "There is something else that interests me."

As Mukuro stood before him, he noticed that his heart was beating very fast. His eyes widened as the delinquent grabbed on to his hands and pinned him to the wall. Tsuna tried to fight against the taller student but he was easily overpowered. "Mukuro….stop."

"But, I haven't even done anything to you, yet." The delinquent replied as he used one of his hands to keep Tsuna's hands pinned against the wall. The blue haired student's free hand trailed down the brunette's chin to his collarbone in a slow, languid stroke.

_Ietsuna!_ Tsuna began to panic as Mukuro's finger began to trail even lower down his abdomen. He knew he couldn't get out of this situation alone. He didn't have the guts or the strength to relieve himself of such a dangerous situation. The brunette wished there was a better way to handle this, but this was his only option. _Ietsuna! Please help me!_

Suddenly, Tsuna felt himself losing consciousness. It felt as if he was slipping into a pool of darkness. However, Tsuna wasn't afraid. He knew that Ietsuna was on his way to take over. Tsuna knew that everything would be alright. For a second, Tsuna's body was drained and then refilled, like a hand in a glove. As Ietsuna settled into his host's body, all the feelings and sensations that Tsuna had experienced before the switch, crashed down on him. He could feel the pressure upon his fastened hands, the sneaky, foreign hand that was encroaching on his personal space and the leer of the heterochromatic creep in front of him. Disgusted, invaded and enraged were the few words that could describe how Ietsuna felt. Quickly, Ietsuna gathered his strength to break from Mukuro's hold and once that was accomplished. He made sure the delinquent got a piece of his mind.

"Don't touch me!" Ietsuna shouted as he punched the delinquent squarely in the face. He watched with satisfaction as the blue haired molester backed away from him and clutched his wounded face.

Mukuro recoiled, he had not expected the brunette to attack him. He then looked up at the other, revealing the busted lip that Ietsuna gave him from his strike. "Oya oya? You got one hell of a punch, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"Stay back, unless you want a hole in your head next." Ietsuna threatened his voice cold.

The dark haired delinquent raised an eyebrow. The mannerisms of the brunette had changed. The one he had cornered before was not this aggressive and he was sure, Tsuna would never have the guts to punched him either. Although, Mukuro believed that cornered animals do have a tendency to strike back, but he found that rule did not apply to Tsuna. Tsuna was known for an object of bullying because he never fought back and so, it was hard for him to believe that Tsuna actually had an aggressive bone in his body. "Who are you?" Mukuro questioned.

The glowing eyed brunette smirked wickedly. "Your worst nightmare."

"Not in this lifetime." Mukuro corrected. Ietsuna tensed as the delinquent disappeared before his eyes. He frowned, carefully searching the room to see where the mismatched eyed creep would appear next. Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind. Mukuro had managed to lock his arms to his back, so the brunette was unable to strike him or easily break free. Ietsuna struggled but from this position, he could do nothing. The blue haired troublemaker leaned down to Ietsuna's ear and whispered. "Who are you?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? What? You forgot who your preying on? Isn't it a bit too early for you to have dementia, Mukuro?" Ietsuna antagonized.

"Kufufu. I'm not stupid. You're different from Tsunayoshi-kun. As if you're another person, entirely." The delinquent insisted.

There were few situations where Ietsuna panicked but he felt this was a good reason to be nervous. If Mukuro found out about Tsuna and his relationship, he would hate for his host to suffer for it. At all costs, Mukuro could not find out. Ietsuna moved towards a wall, jumping on to the surface and walking on it a few steps before he flipped over the delinquent. By doing this, he was able to break himself out of the illusionist's hold and also get closer to the door. Ietsuna smirked smugly at Mukuro. "I think you need to get your head check, pineapple creep."

As Ietsuna was leaving the bathroom, he bumped into another figure. Quickly, the brunette looked up to the person that he had bumped into and his blood began to boil. His tawny eyes clashed with blue grey ones. Ietsuna stayed silent as the prefect turned from him and looked to Mukuro.

"Rokudo Mukuro, I should have known." Hibari said, eyeing the blue haired delinquent behind Ietsuna and then his eyes shifted to the brunette, who was now glaring at him. "And who is this herbivore?"

Ietsuna knew that the prefect was the self-proclaimed guardian of Namimori. The prefect and his goon squad were responsible for preserving the order in the school. However, Ietsuna had a good reason to oppose the discipliner. He remembered all the times, Tsuna had fallen victim to Hibari's lackeys sense of discipline. Ietsuna couldn't forgive them for the all the pain they inflicted on Tsuna and so, the alter-ego felt he had every right to beat the crap out of the prefect. "I'm not a herbivore." Hissed Ietsuna.

Hibari looked indifferently at Ietsuna and instead turned his attention back to his number one enemy. "Rokudo Mukuro, you violated ten rules today. I came to bite you to death."

"Kufufu. Only ten?" The heterochromatic eyed student considered smugly. "But I guess I'm going to have to wait on line."

Hibari raised a curious eyebrow at the blue haired delinquent's statement. The prefect's attention was then brought back to the seething brunette next to him. The alter-ego had forgotten all about preserving Tsuna's secret. Instead, he was more focused on getting revenge for his host. Sure, Mukuro was about to do a horrendous crime to Tsuna, but he had already punched the creep as retribution for the other's transgressions. But Hibari was someone he could not overlook. Ietsuna then barked. "Don't ignore me. I've got a bone to pick with you, Hibari Kyouya."

"Taking care of this herbivore will only take a second." The prefect said as he revealed his tonfas. He was itching for a fight all morning. Mostly, because he wanted to settle the violations that Mukuro committed earlier that day. Hibari would have rather fight a more worthy opponent, but the prefect guessed that he could use a warm up. "Let's go."

Chapter Four End

Shinkansen- Japenese bullet trains- they go pretty fast over long distances.

* * *

Author's note: So I incorporated a lot of your suggestions and comments into this chapter. This chapter has a lot of Ietsuna but for the future chapters this will not always be true. I hoped you like this chapter and will continue to read my story. Please review my work, reviews are my crack. Also, feel free to ask questions or even give suggestions.

To Twilightserius- Reborn and other characters from the show will show up…but the circumstances will be different. Let's say…it's going to be very warped.

To SpiralxBound – Since I'm a sucker for Yami/Yugi or Atem/Yugi fics…It is highly possible for a relationship to develop between Tsuna and Ietsuna.

To Kiasyn- I hope I answered your questions in this chapter.


	5. Disappearing Act

The Other Me

A Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Disclaimer: I don't owe Katekyo Hitman Reborn, all rights reserved to Akira Amano

Author's note: Sorry it took so long. I had major writer's block. It's hard coming up with material, sometimes. Anyway, without further delay, Chapter Five of The Other Me: Disappearing Act.

Chapter Five: Disappearing Act

Ietsuna's glowing orange eyes bore into the dark haired head prefect. Like most things, his anger clouded his reasoning. The brunette had an urged to rip off the gold and red band that the prefect donned; the badge was a symbol of the false justice and a representation of oppression. He remembered the times that he could not help Tsuna when he was preyed upon by Hibari's lackeys. And now, he had a chance to do something, by beating the disciplinary committee leader for the all the pain and suffering he placed his host through.

Although, the stoic prefect did not portray it in his expressions, he was intrigued by this recent confrontation. He didn't know who this kid was or why he wanted to fight him so badly, but Hibari had no problem disciplining the small boy. He needed the practice anyway and perhaps, if Mukuro knew how much damage he dealt to a weak herbivore, the delinquent would not be so defiant.

"This will only take a second." Hibari said to Mukuro as his tonfas slipped into his hands from the jackets on his shoulders, preparing to use his signature weapons on Ietsuna.

Mukuro shrugged his shoulders as he leaned against the wall, grinning at the unfolding melee. "Then, I'll take a number."

Ietsuna watched as the prefect used his left tonfa to strike. The brunette was surprised at the fearless and direct attack. So taken back that he had to block the metal weapon with his arm. The metal hit against his bone harshly, but not enough to break bones. It was then that Hibari's right tonfa came swinging towards his head. The jab came so fast that Ietsuna barely had time to think. Yet, instinctively he dodged the displinarian's counter. The alter-ego took a step back to assess the dark haired upperclassmen's movements or style of fighting. Ietsuna had never come up against an opponent of Hibari's caliber. No… it wasn't about caliber. Most of his opponents never fought him back or was so far out of his league, winning a fight was very easy for him. This person before him was in a class of his own. Hibari was confident in his fighting ability, to the point where he wasn't afraid to strike first. Usually, striking first showed the eagerness of a beginner or the enthusiasm of a fool. But, this did not apply to the prefect; he was far from being a beginner or a fool.

"Scared already?" The prefect taunted as he lunged at Ietsuna, while doing a downward swipe.

The smaller boy managed to dodge it as well as another swing aimed at his chest. Ietsuna quickly side-stepped to the prefect's right side, initiating his attack by throwing a punch at the Hibari. Predictably, his punch was blocked, but Ietsuna was quick to counter by kneeing the discipliner's side. The prefect was pushed slightly off balance, but Ietsuna's hit had no damaging impact. The disciplinarian prefect got his footing back and charged at the brunette. Ietsuna held his stance watching for Hibari to come at him. When the other came within reach, the alter-ego quickly grabbed a hold of the other's tonfas in both hands. The action was almost like holding the horns of the bull and facing the ferocious beast dead on. He then assured Hibari with an iniquitous smirk. "Just warming up."

He then griped the tonfas tightly, then he swiftly jumping up and placing his feet on the prefect chest, Ietsuna placer pressure on his back making sure that he was falling to the ground while he was lifting the prefect off his feet. Once, Ietsuna's back had hit the floor, Hibari was thrown through the door. The brunette rolled on to his feet in time to see that, the prefect had gracefully avoided being slammed into the wall and managed to gain his balance in mid-air. Tsuna's split personality was not amused that his beautiful throw had been defused by this guy.

"What are you, some kind of a black belt?" The tawny eyed boy asked in awe.

Hibari smirked at the comment, getting back into stance. "Are you giving up already?"

"Not yet…."

"That's a lot coming from someone who hasn't been able to land a damaging hit, as of yet." The prefect pointed out

"Don't worry. I'll have you seeing stars in a minute." Ietsuna assured. However, the brunette did not want to continue their fight in the boy's bathroom. Part of the reason why he threw Hibari outside of it was to force the fight outside of the confined space. However, the hallway wasn't a better arena to battle in, but it was a start. He stepped into the hallway and began to taunt the prefect. "Now, I'll send you to the moon."

The alter-ego bravely dashed towards Hibari, and the prefect made no move to attack. The disciplinarian was ready to beat the other when he came within reach. As soon as the prefect began throwing swipes towards him, he used his intuition to figure out where the dark haired boy would strike first. In the beginning this worked, but during Ietsuna's parry of Hibari's strikes, the other's attacks became unpredictable. Hibari successfully connected his tonfas to Ietsuna's shin, making him pause from the agonizing pain and then following up with a direct jab to the face. The brunette was sent backward on to bum, his cheek smarting from the recent attack that he could not evade. However, he managed to lessen the damage of Hibari's attack by stepping back a little.

Hibari noticed this too. Although, the hit connected, the damage was nearly cut in half by the brunette's deft maneuver. Ietsuna was an inexperienced fighter, who used impulse to guide his way. The herbivore in front of him lacked discipline and although, his fighting technique seemed reckless, it really wasn't. As another fighter to another, Hibari saw a lot of potential in Ietsuna, but the other made the unfortunate mistake of challenging him to a fight. "Get up." The prefect ordered.

Ietsuna reluctantly did so. Something was telling him to run away, but he was the one who started this, he could at least finish it with dignity. He braced himself as Hibari charged towards him, as he drew near Ietsuna sidle to the left. He merely lifted his left arm up, not attacking at all, and as expected, the limb still caught the prefect's attention. While the disciplinarian went after his left arm, Ietsuna used his right hand to take advantage of the opening he set up. The prefect was wide open enough for him to land a hit. However, the hit never connected and instead, Ietsuna was slammed into a wall by a surreptitious hook.

"Look's like you're the one who's seeing stars." Hibari quipped.

The alter-ego gritted his teeth, the impact of his body hitting the wall was excruciating. For a while, he stayed against the wall in fear that he would fall if he did leave the hard surface. After his host's body screamed at him for being so insolent, brunette decided that Hibari was not an opponent he could fight fairly, the other was much stronger than him. There was no chance of him winning and for Tsuna's safety, the best option would be to retreat. In an effort to escape, Ietsuna pushed off the wall and tried to regain his footing, but as soon as he stood up, the room began to spin. He began to feel light-headed and dizzy. Ietsuna considered that Hibari's attack probably caused him to hit his head and now he was feeling the repercussions. Ietsuna's knees buckled from underneath him, the dizziness made the fiery brunette feel nauseous and disoriented.

"This is all you got." Hibari loomed over the brunette. Ietsuna looked up, his head throbbing. The fiery persona cursed to himself as he watched the perfect merciless pick up his tonfa for the final blow. "So weak."

Ietsuna waited for the blow, and before it could touch any hair on his head, he was hurled to the side by an invisible hand. With his blurred vision, he realized that he had been transported far away from the menacing prefect. Then, the alter-ego realized the weight upon his uniform shirt; someone was holding him up by the fabric. Ietsuna's head was spinning too much for him to look up to see his savior, but found out the identity of his rescuer by voice.

"Kufufu. I got tired of waiting."

"P-pineapple creep?" Ietsuna managed to mouth out before he passed out.

Mukuro looked down at his catch before he turned to the prefect fuming feet away. The midnight blue haired delinquent grinned. "We have unfinished business."

"Stop." Hibari demanded.

Disobediently, Mukuro took a step back, dragging Ietsuna in tow. He took another rebellious step back and another. "Oya oya, it appears that my legs are moving on their own."

"Rokudo Mukuro, stop or I'll bite you to death." Hibari ordered the delinquent, but he knew the troublemaker would never listen to his commands. Mukuro spent most days breaking any directive given by others and so, Hibari understood that ordering the illusionist was futile. However as the protector and preserver of peace in the school, he could not allow the delinquent to do what he wished without protest.

"Tempting, but I rather take care of the injured. Who knows? I might find something interesting." Declined Mukuro and just like his other bag of tricks, the midnight haired demon managed to disappear from Hibari's sight entirely. Leaving not a trace of his or Ietsuna's essence behind as if they were never there to begin with.

Hibari wasn't one to believe in smoke and mirrors, but every time he crossed paths with Mukuro, he began to believe a bit more. He growled at letting the charlatan go and this time with a hostage that he was about to beat into a pulp. He was pissed and he felt sorry for the innocent by-stander that will incur his wrath. Not really.

"Kyo-san." Hibari's vice president called out to the prefect, bringing a group of disciplinary committee members with him. They had heard the ruckus going on and to be able to preserve the peace, they tried to get to the scene in a timely fashion. Kusakabe cautiously walked up to the chairman of the disciplinary committee, already sensing that the head prefect was irritated.

"Find out who that herbivore is." Hibari said in a leveled voice, but the members knew better. Hibari's calm voice was actually a very scary thing.

"Yes, Hibari-san." The other members of the committee said in unison as they raced off to find clues. They did not know who Hibari was talking about, but it was their job to find out without any details given by their leader.

As the members of his committee left him to find out the identity of Ietsuna, the prefect was left alone to seethe over the events that occurred. Hibari's blue-grey eyes became cold. _I won't allow you to get away._

_

* * *

  
_

Vongola Headquarters, Italy

A tall man dressed in an expensive black suit walked to the main office. His matching fedora with a band of orange shadowed his eyes. His hands were inside the pockets of his suit pants as he ambled to the main doors at the end of a lengthy hallway. He paused once he met the doors and after moments of hesitation, he opened the door and allowed himself in without alerting anyone of his arrival. The finely dressed man managed to sneak into the office stealthy, making his presence nonexistent to the diligence of the old man at the large desk, flipping through sheets of paperwork.

It wasn't till Reborn found a comfortable corner in the room that he informed the other of his arrival. Clearing his throat he managed to get the gentle older man's attention. The warm eyes of the elder shifted over to the new presence in the room. Although, the old man had not detected his visitor at all, he didn't feel threatened. His visitor had no intent to kill him and it was mostly that murderous intent that gave criminals away. He turned away from his work and gave the man clad in the dark suit, his undivided attention.

"Reborn, how is it going?" The elder man greeted.

The visitor looked up slightly, the rim of his hat still shadowing his eyes. His lips thinned out, forming a line. "He failed again."

"I see." The elderly man at the desk leaned back in his chair. He was not happy to hear that and if these setbacks continued, he would be placed in a rough spot.

The man with the fedora over his eyes pushed off the wall and headed to stand in front of the desk buried with paperwork and files. He continued despite the man's dampened mood. "Undoubtedly, he does have what it takes to be a mafia boss, but he relies too much on his strength. He has to learn that he needs the help of his guardians to be a good boss. He lacks compassion and that'll be his downfall."

"I know." The elderly man heaved a sigh.

"But, I have an idea." He said, giving the older man some hope. "In Italy, he's already aware that no one will ever try to take his title away from him. I propose challenging him to the very thing he holds dear, his title as the next Vongola boss. If we were to give his title to someone else…perhaps a qualified candidate, then…" The man trailed off with a malicious smirk.

"He would be forced to rely on his guardians and perhaps learn some compassion. That's a great idea, Reborn." The gray haired elder liked the idea. One of the things he feared was the lack of compassion in his son's heart. He had hoped over time and from interacting with his guardians that he would learn it, but this appeared not to be the case. In order to be a good mafia boss, one must know compassion or it shall be their undoing. Sailing upon his musings, the elderly man came across a concern. He looked to the Hitman. "But what happens if the candidate wins?"

Reborn just shrugged his shoulders, turning to leave the room. He then stopped once his hand touch the doorknob. He looked over his shoulder to the old man, his dark cold eyes revealed. "Perhaps, we will receive a better candidate."

The mysterious man opened the door and left the mafia boss with his words. From day one, he knew that the Ninth's son was not a proper heir for Vongola. And although, the Ninth wanted to be fair to his son, he threatened the vitality of the greatest crime syndicate in existence. Not only did he have obligation to help his friend, but Reborn had his own obligations to Vongola as a whole. He had to ensure that the next heir was suitable to maintain the longevity of their organization.

* * *

Tsuna opened his eyes to a blinding white light. His brown eyes adjusted to the whiteness, and then he was able to make out where he was. However, his sense of smell gave away that he was in the school infirmary. His vision began to become clearer as well as his hearing. He was now able to hear sounds and familiar voices. The familiar voices Tsuna overheard belonged to Gokudera and Yamamoto. The two had been quietly arguing amongst themselves, and it wasn't until Tsuna's eyes opened that Gokudera dropped their argument and attended to Tsuna.

"Tenth! You're alright." Came the booming voice of Gokudera. He cringed a bit as the silver haired male grabbed his shoulders and gave him a shake.

The brunette's hand rose to touch one of the hands on his shoulders. He then looked up at his flustered boyfriend. "Gokudera."

"Are you okay, Tsuna?" Tsuna heard Yamamoto's voice as well.

The tall baseball captain was not far behind Gokudera and he smiled, greeting his other visitor. "Yamamoto."

Gokudera turned his attention to Yamamoto and snapped at him. "Didn't I tell you to wait outside?!"

"Well, that's unfair. I'm also concerned about Tsuna, too." Yamamoto smiled with his hands behind his head.

Tsuna sat up carefully, starting to feel his head throbbing. He didn't know if the bright lights in the room or Gokudera and Yamamoto's bickering caused his head to pain him, but he was guessing the possibility of the latter. Nonetheless, Tsuna was very confused on why he was here. He questioned his two friends, hoping that they could give him a good explanation. "What happened? Why am I here?"

Gokudera was the first to answer. "It was that bastard, Hibari! When I find him he'll be mincemeat!"

"Maa, Maa. Let's not be rash. There has to be a good explanation for why he hit Tsuna." The baseball captain tried to reason with Gokudera.

The injured boy thought of Yamamoto's comments. The last thing he remembered was being accosted by Mukuro and after that everything was a blank. However, knowing the head prefect's track record, Tsuna was ready to believe that during his black out, he had pissed off Hibari. Well, not him… his alter-ego, perhaps. He agreed with the baseball fanatic. "Yamamoto, may be right…I probably was in his way or something."

"Don't try to think about it. You should be resting, tenth." Gokudera advised as he softly ran a hand through Tsuna's hair.

The brunette was expecting Ietsuna to say a snide comment, but no such thing happened. Tsuna frowned, realizing that something didn't feel right. Normally, he was able to feel Ietsuna's presence…especially recently since his alter-ego made it a habit to stay close to the surface. After the psychologist had diagnosed him with his split personality, Ietsuna made it his business to be known, and now Ietsuna's presence wasn't there.

_Ietsuna_ Tsuna called his alter-ego. He waited but nothing within him responded to his call. He tried again, but with more concentration and pleading._ Ietsuna…please answer me…_

Gokudera observed as the brunette seemed to be in another world. The brunette's eyes were distant, but narrowed by a degree of focus. Worriedly the silver haired tried to break the petite boy out of his stupor. "Tenth?"

"Tsuna?" The baseball nut was equally concerned.

Tsuna woke out of his reverie and from the looks he was received from his friends, Tsuna thought it would be best to leave school for the day. He was concerned about Ietsuna and he didn't feel up for learning anyway. Tsuna voiced his decision. "I think itwould be a good idea if I went home."

"That's a good idea; your family must be worried about you."

Gokudera interjected as he moved to help the small boy out of the bed. "I'll escort you home."

"I'll tag along too." Yamamoto offered as he also extended a hand to help Tsuna.

Glaring at the baseball nut, who couldn't the get a hint that he wasn't wanted, Gokudera hissed. "Who needs you?!"

Tsuna just ignored the squabble between the two. He had enough things to worry about. Ietsuna was not answering him and many possible scenarios popped into his head, like Ietsuna suffering from a coma. Tsuna realized that he had made two enemies today, Mukuro and Hibari. Somehow, the brunette figured that those two were responsible for his alter-ego disappearance._ Ietsuna, I hope that you are okay. _

Nearby, Chrome and Mukuro was watching the proceedings on a rooftop. The eldest of the pair held binoculars watching the occupants in the infirmary help the fragile brunette on to his feet. Chrome was busy listening to their conversation with large headphones and distance microphone in hand. She frowned, learning there was nothing of interest. The timid girl looked to Mukuro. "Mukuro-sama, there's seems to be nothing different about him."

But, Chrome's comments fell upon deaf ears. Although, the brunette, who had just woken up had presented the same mannerisms as the mousy Tsunayoshi, that boy he had come across in the bathroom was a lot different. He knew his eyes were not playing tricks and he was determined to uncover the mystery of Tsuna's weird behavior. Mukuro was sure that he bound to find the answer with persistence.

"I'll find out his secret, one way or another." The delinquent promised with devilish grin.

Chapter Five End

* * *

Author's note: I hoped you liked this chapter. Things are starting to get more and more interesting and the other characters from KHR are slowly going to show themselves. I hope that I continued to have your interest and that you keep reading this story. Please review…they are my motivation and if you have any suggestions, don't be afraid to tell me…unless you're trying to be malicious.

A few questions to answer:

Pockylover09 – I believe I did explain it in the last chapter, but maybe I didn't make it clear (failure as a writer). Anyway, I placed a brief explanation in the beginning of the chapter for others who were lost as well. I hoped that helped.

Twilightserius – I was thinking of having Tsuna and Ietsuna split while in dying will form. However, I will not divulge all my plans for the pair. You are going to have to read to find out.

Mizuirosnow- It's all27, but there isn't a main pairing as of yet. Although, Tsuna is going out with Gokudera currently…this may not last. He and Ietsuna have other suitors, afterall.

I hoped I answered your questions and thank you to everyone who reviewed or even favorited my story. You're praise and encouragement is much appreciated. Till next chapter!


	6. Support

The Other Me  
A Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fanfiction  
Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn…nor am I claiming to be. I'm just creatively using Akira Amano's characters.

Chapter Six: Support

Placed to bed by his worried mother, Tsuna did the only thing he could do—search for Ietsuna. As Tsuna slipped into his subconscious, he was transported to a dark, four walled room. The room was empty and dark, except for a dim light from a small blaze in the corner of the room. The brunette watched the small flame danced within the darkness of the room. Normally, Tsuna would not have noticed such a thing, but for some reason, his attention was drawn to this single spark of light. The fire seemed familiar, like something very close to him.

"Tsunayoshi…" Ietsuna's voice emerged from an unknown source.

Tsuna began to look around the room frantically. However, he did not see any signs of his alter-ego. After looking over the room several times, and not seeing the appearance of Ietsuna, his attention was turned back to that small flame. Bravely, the brunette walked over to the corner of the room and hovered over the flame. He crouched down and sat in front of it. Just being near the tiny flame made Tsuna feel warm and comfortable. The light was cozy, reminding him of serene place similar to home. For that reason, the thought of scooping up the ember seemed promising and before he could stop himself, he was already clutching the flame within the palm of his hands. The flame didn't burn him, it was just warm. His bright, brown eyes stared into the flame, watching as the source of warmth danced upon his palms. He asked softly, "Are you Ietsuna?"

"Of course not. I'm not weak like that small flame." Ietsuna said making his presence known, his glowing orange eyes peering at Tsuna from another corner of the room. Tsuna turned to his split personality, happy to see that his alter-ego was unharmed and just as lively as ever.

Although, Tsuna was staring at his alter-ego in the face, he was not convinced that the flame in the palm of his hands was not related to Ietsuna. Intuitively, the brunette replied. "This flame was not always tiny."

Tsuna's glowing eyed twin scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"What happened, Ietsuna?" The brunette questioned, getting to his feet. Something was bothering Ietsuna. Not only did he not answer him earlier, he was also being very moody as well. It was not his alter-ego's style. Though, Tsuna had not known him for a long time, he still felt that Ietsuna's attitude was very different from usual.

His alter-ego's shoulders tensed and he turned away from Tsuna. "Nothing happened."

"Ietsuna?" Tsuna reached out to touch Ietsuna's shoulder.

"You're so persistent and annoying! Can't you see I want to be left alone?!" Ietsuna spat at his host and as soon as he said it, he wanted to take it back. He didn't mean to get upset with Tsuna. He was just angry and embarrassed by what happened today. It wasn't Tsuna's fault that he lost to Hibari. The alter-ego began to say. "Tsu-"

"You did your best." Tsuna told Ietsuna with a benign smile.

"Tsunayoshi?" Ietsuna looked to his host, his glowing orange eyes softened at the sight of the brunette's kind smile. However, Tsuna's smile could not erase the revolting feeling of his defeat. "I failed. I was supposed to avenge you, protect you. Yet, I managed to do the opposite. You got hurt, the pineapple creep is suspicious of us and that tonfa wielding demon will be after you. I messed up!"

"I guess so," Tsuna agreed, feeling a bit scared. Knowing that he was on target list of two of the most fearsome guys in school did make Tsuna a bit nervous. Okay, he was scared for his life! Although, the predicament that Ietsuna placed him in was pretty bad, the brunette felt that it could be worse. "But I still have you, Ietsuna."

"Me?" The glowing eyed personality raised an eyebrow at this declaration and grinned mischievously at the brunette. "You're thinking of something indecent."

Tsuna's expression turned from kind to flustered, and a reddening blush began to blossom on mousy boy's cheeks. "Am not!"

"Look at you. You're as red as a tomato, and you're giving me a leery look. Does Gokudera know about this?" Ietsuna continued to tease his host, watching as the brunette turned different shades of red. "The stalker will be crushed."

"What?!"Tsuna shrieked out of disbelief and embarrassment. "It's not like that at all."

"I'm just playing with you, Tsunayoshi." Ietsuna laughed, walking over to his host. He stepped close to his twin, nearly an inch away from touching the other's nose with his own. "Tell me, what you were going to say."

The brunette struggled to function. Tsuna's brain went totally blank, his body was frozen in place, and his eyes glued to his alter-ego. All Tsuna could do was stare at the other.

"Well?" Ietsuna breathed impatiently.

The brunette woke out of his stupor and quickly answered his fiery counterpart. "It's because you're here that I'm not afraid. If I was by myself, I would be ready to move to the next town. But knowing that I have Ietsuna supporting me does make things easier to handle."

Ietsuna stared at Tsuna and the easily intimidated brunette was beginning to believe he said something wrong. The host was then relieved as his personality formed a grin and replied. "I'm glad to have your support as well."

"Really?" Tsuna smiled, happily.

"Although, you're totally useless." The alter-ego teased his host, moving away from Tsuna.

"Hey." Tsuna glared at the spot at Ietsuna. It was true that he was useless, but his alter-ego didn't need to say it. The brunette looked down at the small flame that was in his hands and was baffled to see that the flame had grown in size. The fire was more vibrant and spirited than when he had first come upon it. Tsuna was happy to see it in a much healthier state, and returned the flame to its original post.

Before Tsuna left the room, his brown eyes saw something glittering in another corner. Curiosity getting the better of him, Tsuna found himself being drawn to the object. From a distance, the object seemed like a small gem or crystal. Yet, when the brunette drew closer to it, the cold airs emitting from the object divulged what the mysterious item was.

"Ice?" Tsuna mouthed. His hand outreaching to touch the frost, however, his hand was knocked away by Ietsuna.

"What are you doing?" The fiery twin asked. Ietsuna's voice was stern yet, the tone didn't reach Tsuna. His host was still eying the crystal as if it one of the wonders of the world.

"Ietsuna, what is that?" Tsuna asked as he began rubbing at his hand. Ietsuna hadn't hurt him, but unconsciously, he felt that he should tend to it.

"It's a secret." Ietsuna ushered his host away from the ice crystal. He then added before Tsuna could protest. "Now, go back. You have to get your rest."

"Okay." The brunette complied getting ready to leave. However, he couldn't help looking back at the crystal of ice in the corner. Before he was urged with a desire to touch the crystal, he was hurled into the darkness. When he opened his eyes, he was back in his room. Although, he was relieved that Ietsuna was okay, his mind was plagued with thoughts of what he had just seen. That crystal of ice seemed important, and he wondered why Ietsuna was keeping it from him. "A secret, huh?"

* * *

Sasagawa Residence

Ryohei had searched high and low for good men (and sometimes women) to have in his boxing club. Since, Boxing was such an extreme sport; Ryohei's club needed people who were as passionate and dedicated as he was. Though their heart may not be with the sport, he hoped that he could find candidates that were strong in spirit and strength. Fatefully, his eyes were set on a certain candidate. After seeing his grueling defeat against Hibari, Ryohei knew that the kid had it made for greatness. It was not hard to see the fire in the other's eyes when he fought against the disciplinarian and although he lost, he proved sheer courage going against a beast like Hibari.

Then again, the energetic boxer had never defeated the prefect, either. Hibari was on another category of extreme. Even Ryohei felt that the self-proclaimed guardian of the school was truly a formidable opponent and he admired any soul who attempted to put up a good fight with Hibari. That was why Ryohei was determined to have Tsunayoshi join his boxing club. He could train the novice fighter and transform him to one of the greatest boxers of all time. Second to him, of course.

At dinner, he couldn't keep his mind off it and it seemed as Kyoko also had her head in the clouds. Unlike her brother, Kyoko was very worried about Tsuna. She was surprised to hear that Tsuna was in a fight with Hibari. The Tsuna she knew would never get into fights, since he tried his best to avoid, even if he was humiliated in the process. This pathetic pacificism was something she admired in Tsuna. However, the fellow classmate was beginning to worry about the brunette. First, Tsuna was having problems with Gokudera, and now to hear him getting into fights with Hibari made Kyoko fear for the other's well being. It seemed Tsuna was getting into more and more trouble. She knew that Tsuna had a hard time in school, but it seemed as if everything was crashing down on him.

Although, Ryohei and Kyoko sat at the same table, ate the same dinner, and even gave each other respectable eye contact, their thoughts and words did not match up.

"Kyoko, you should have seen this guy…" The white haired boxer began as he ate a spoonful of rice and stuffing his mouth with stew.

Slipping out of her own reverie, Kyoko tapped her chopsticks to her bottom lip. "And you say this was Sawada-san? He doesn't seem like the type to get into fights."

Ryohei added as guzzled down his drink. "To tell you truth, his body does not look built for fighting, but he has a lot of potential."

"First, he was being bullied by Gokudera-san and now, Hibari-senpai…" Tsuna's former crush sipped her soup.

Ryohei said, excitedly. "I can't wait to teach him my extreme right hooks…"

"Perhaps, Sawada-san is having a tough time at school. Maybe I should speak to him…" Kyoko began to consider as she slowly chewed her food.

For the first time throughout their dinner conversation, Ryohei actually listen to the words his sister spoke. "Ask him to join my boxing club!!!"

Kyoko looked at her older brother, sympathetically. "Onii-chan, I'm worried about him. Would you look after him?"

"Of course, Kyoko. I'll train him to be a man." Ryohei promised his little sister.

"Thank you." The petite girl smiled happily, returning back to her meal.

"Anything for you, Kyoko." Ryohei replied. He did wanted to please his sister, but he was extremely pumped by the sort of training him and Tsuna would do together. He couldn't wait!

* * *

A black private jet touched the ground at Narita Airport. As expected from the Vongola, the personal jet was top-notch and first class. The aerial vehicle drove away from the main airport and stopped by a secluded hanger reserved for celebrities and world leaders. As soon as the black plane entered the empty hanger, a black limo timely pulled up, waiting for the traveler.

Reborn did not emerge from the plane until he was sure the coast was clear. The Vongola had many enemies and it would be no surprise if they came to "welcome" him. However, the man did not sense any murderous intent or the presence of someone who were not supposed to be present. Still, he kept his left hand ready on the pistol inside his suit jacket. He descended the stairs, his dark eyes not looking at the limo driver who came to greet him.

He ignored the driver as the other extended a hand towards him, and walked towards the vehicle. Once Reborn was reached the car, he waited impatiently for the driver to catch up to him. Hurried steps and huffing could be heard as the poor chauffeur finally approached him. He ungracefully opened the door for Reborn, nearly slamming his body into the door but gained his balance at the last second. Reborn ignored this and got into the car. It was hard finding good help these days.

The drive into Tokyo was long, but he didn't mind checking out the scenery. Japan was a much different place than Italy. Although, he had never been to the country before for business, he was still fascinated by the uniqueness of the place. Reborn began to wonder what unique candidate he would find here. As far as he knew, the candidate was Japanese but thanks to a distant relative in his family tree, he had the blood of Vongola. Hopefully, this person was able to hold up against the current heir. If he was inadequate, he had no choice but to train him.

"Don't disappointment me." Reborn said to no one in particular.

The hitman closed his eyes briefly, but opened it again when the driver tapped on the darken glass that separated them. Reborn glared irritably at the glass, trying to scorch the driver through the divide, but couldn't. He then lowered the window from his own controls. "Yes." Reborn answered.

"Sorry to bother you, Sir, but don't you want your briefcase?" The driver timidly asked.

Reborn was quiet and then he inquired. "Was that briefcase there when you picked up this car?"

"Yes. The dispatcher told me this was to be given to you." The driver explained as he looked at the hitman in the rearview mirror.

"Throw it out of the car." Reborn ordered.

"Sir?" The stupid driver questioned.

Reborn grew even more irritated. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at the driver's head. "Do it or I'll kill you."

"But…" The driver's eye shifted to the area they were in. Currently, they were crossing a bridge. The road itself was deserted, but there were houses and buildings nearby. Reborn figured that he was worried for the pedestrians.

"It's okay. No one will get hurt…as long as you throw the briefcase out of the car. If you don't I can't promise your safety." Reborn assured the driver. "Now, throw it out of the car!"

The driver did what he was told. He aimlessly tossed the silver briefcase out of the car and watched as the case took to the car. After a few seconds passed, the case exploded. The blast made the car lose control for a while before the driver managed to get the wheel under control. Reborn breathed heavily; if the incompetent driver had deliberated any longer he would have been in trouble. Well, the stupid driver would be in more danger than him.

"A bomb?!" The driver shrieked baffled by the fact that the briefcase exploded.

"I'm a man that gets targeted a lot." Reborn said calmly. He then pondered about who could have conducted such an attack. The Vongola had a lot of enemies in the Yakuza, but it wasn't their style to attack like this. Plus, not a lot of people knew he was coming to Japan. His dark eyes narrowed coming to a conclusion. "Looks like my pupil is nervous."

* * *

The next morning, Tsuna grudgingly got out of bed. He heard the alarm clock sound and he even heard his mother yelling at him from downstairs to eat breakfast. However, none of that could overcome the dread he felt. How could he go to school with two maniacs after him?!Although, he told Ietsuna last night that everything was fine. It really wasn't okay. The disciplinary committee was probably all over the place looking for him and Mukuro probably wasn't too far behind them. How was he supposed to deal with this? How was he going to live with this? Would he live after this?

Tsuna didn't know, but he had to trust in Ietsuna. With Ietsuna, he wasn't totally alone. Knowing that he had his alter-ego on his side made the situation look less bleak. With this resolve, Tsuna managed to gain the courage to ready himself for either the beat down of the century or perhaps, a miracle. The brunette was really praying for the latter. As Tsuna dressed for school, a dark figure crept up to his window and effortlessly landed inside his room. The petite boy whirled around from buttoning up his shirt, seeing the intruder.

"Hiiii!!!" Tsuna screamed as he ran away from the uninvited guest; however his path to freedom was obstructed by a metal weapon embedded into the wall.

"I found you…" The intruder replied, revealing another weapon from under his coat. A tonfa. "Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Hi-Hibari-san?!" The brunette shrieked. "What are you doing here?!"

The upperclassmen smirked eerily. "I've come to bite you to death."

Chapter Six End

* * *

Author's note: So sorry, I had this chapter pretty much written, but never truly finished. The main reason for this delay is my current obsession with my other story, Hungry for Tsuna. My other story has longer chapters (20-25 pages now and increasing), so it takes a lot of my time. However, this story is also on my mind, and I am trying to update both of them efficiently. So be patient with me. Thank you for the review and favoriting this story. I hope you stick with me and that I continue to please you.

The answers to your questions:

Skitty-nya- There is a possibility that Basil has an alter-ego, but like you said, it wouldn't be much of a contrast from his self. While in Tsuna's case, when he goes into HDW mode or even DW mode, he's a completely different person. At least, I think so.

Easterlily6- Actually, I did put Nii-sama at first, but didn't do it throughout. But yes I do prefer Nii-sama than Mukuro-sama in this situation.

XxMissRandomxX (and anyone else wondering the same thing) – Right now, it's ALL27, but it'll narrow down to one pairing. I have no idea who's that one pairing as of yet. So we have to see together.


	7. Boxing, Bouts and Bullets

The Other Me

A Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or any of its characters. All rights reserved to Akira Amano.

Chapter Seven: Boxing, Bullets and Bouts

**Iemitsu's version**

There comes a time in every father's life that he must take arms. Iemitsu thought that he was safe from doing such a thing, since he was blessed with a baby boy, and unlike a girl, he would have to worry about the many men trying to claim her. He laughed at the stories of his friends, whom had daughters in which they had to chase away suitors using weapons such as baseball bats and machine guns to selfish tactics of withdrawing their daughters out of any social function to reverse psychology. And he marveled at how envious his colleagues were that Iemitsu didn't have to go through it.

Unfortunately, Iemitsu was wrong. Instead of growing into a strapping young man, who chased the girls, he was presented with the reality of a petite boy who would be pursued. Although Tsuna didn't know this, Iemitsu already knew about Gokudera and even why the supposedly carefree Yamamoto frequently visit. They were after his son and he knew they weren't seeking friendship.

Now, he could understand his colleagues' woes. His precious son was going to be devoured, and he felt like he couldn't do anything about it. His son had already showed aggression toward him and he wasn't sure how the other would take his advice. Would he believe him or would that farther divide them? In any case, Iemitsu still loved his son and he only wanted to protect him.

As Tsuna's father went out to get paper, his fears that often plagued his mind were once again proven. He felt a murderous intent near him, but it wasn't directed at him. His brown eyes narrowed as he tried to locate the source and he saw the fiend, sprint up the side of his house, entering his home through his son's window. Quick to action, Iemitsu ran back into his home in search for his axe. When he couldn't find it, he yelled out to his wife. "Nana, where's my axe?"

"In the closet, dear." Her sing song voice guided from the kitchen.

Iemitsu went to the closet and retrieved his axe. He then marched up the stairs, kicking down Tsuna's door. Not only was there one boy, but two. One had Tsuna at his back, protecting him with a baseball bat and the other intruder was attacking his son's protector with tonfas. Tsuna turned to him. "Dad?"

Iemitsu cursed under his breath. It had already gotten this bad; now people were fighting over Tsuna with fights to the death. This was more serious than he thought. "Both of you…get out."

* * *

**Tsuna's version**

Everything happened too fast for Tsuna to react. The brunette was so surprised to see the delinquent this early in the morning and also in his room, threatening to hurt him. No, being hurt was already assured. Hibari totally overwhelmed him, slamming him into a wall. Before the small boy could find his footing the disciplinarian was already upon and placing a tonfa to his throat, preventing the air from getting in to his body. Tsuna's hands quietly grabbed on to the other's weapon in a feeble attempt to lift the cool weapon against his neck. Hibari was too strong.

"Hibari…" Tsuna choked out as he looked the disciplinarian in the eye. Cold blue ones stared back at him.

"Aren't you going to fight back?" The prefect questioned. Tsuna felt a shiver run through him as he saw the bloodlust in the other's eyes. Hibari wanted Tsuna to fight him; perhaps the disciplinarian was unsatisfied with how things turned out last time. Though, Tsuna didn't know why, from what he assumed Ietsuna had lost and it was obvious that Hibari had won. Why would the prefect be coming back to attack him, if that was the outcome?

"Tsuna!" Someone yelled from behind them. Tsuna turned away from Hibari and looked over the prefect's shoulder. Hibari had also turned from Tsuna to look at the other visitor. "Leave Tsuna alone."

Tsuna's eyes widened when he realized the other intruder in his room was someone he knew. "Yamamoto?!"

Yamamoto's face was different from his usual carefree countenance; instead he was fitted with a seriousness Tsuna had never seen on the baseball captain. The tall athlete looked away from Hibari and looked to Tsuna. He smiled and the solemn face he had almost melted entirely. "Are you okay?"

Tsuna nodded. "Yes."

The prefect released Tsuna from his tonfa death grip; he wanted to make sure he punished Tsuna for running away from their fight the other day. However, Hibari needed to take care of anyone who would interfere like last time. Mukuro had intercepted him the last time and now Yamamoto Takeshi was coming to this boy's rescue as well. Boy, did he hate herbivores, they were always crowding. Hibari went over to Yamamoto, moving to strike him with his one tonfa. The athlete managed to dodge the other's attempt. However, the captain hadn't seen Hibari's counter quick enough and was knocked back by the swift attack. Yamamoto recoiled, but gathered his strength to place himself between Hibari and Tsuna.

"What are you doing?" Tsuna asked his classmate as the other got in front of him.

"Protecting you." Yamamoto said as he kept his eye on Hibari. Tsuna noticed that the taller boy was using his baseball bat as a weapon. This was getting out of control!

Then his bedroom door abruptly opened, revealing his father in the doorframe. The blonde looked pretty intimidating, standing tall and his pick-axe in hand. "Dad?"

Without looking at his son, he glared at the two intruders in Tsuna's room. "Both of you…get out!"

"But…." Yamamoto began, turning to the older man.

"I don't care. Just get out…" Iemitsu ordered.

Hibari was the first to place away his tonfas and walked out the door. Tsuna gave Yamamoto an apologetic look before the taller boy did the same. Iemitsu followed the two high school boys downstairs and out the door. Slamming the front door, making sure they knew their behavior was inappropriate and disrespectful to his home. "Kids these days."

Iemitsu turned away from the door to see his son in front of him. The brunette didn't look happy with him. "Why did you kick Yamamoto out? He was protecting me."

Iemitsu looked to his son. The boy had his school shirt, unbuttoned; showing a long line of his chest and boxers. No wonder boys were jumping through his windows. Kami-sama help him. "I couldn't take that chance."

Tsuna frowned not getting his father, but the other man had already walked away from him. His mother walked into the hallway and saw the disheveled state of her son. "Tsu-kun, if you don't hurry up and get dress, you'll be late for school."

"School?!" Tsuna ran up the stairs and began placing on his clothes. As he hurried to get ready for school, he wondered why Ietsuna had not helped him. Tsuna thought his alter-ego would be itching for another round with Hibari and it was kind of weird that the other didn't talk to him at all during the incident.

_Why didn't you help me?_Tsuna asked as he placed on his socks. He then shrugged into his school blazer, before placing his school bag under his shoulder, so he could knot his tie.

_**I was…but Yamamoto showed up.**_ Ietsuna said. _**If I tried to fight Hibari off, I think I would have caused more trouble. Plus, how would you explain me to Yamamoto?**_

_Good point. _Tsuna sighed as he bolted into the kitchen, picking two slices of buttered toast. He then turned and ran to the doorframe, placing on his shoes. Finally, racing out the door, the brunette began to look around for Gokudera. The bomber had made it a habit to take him to school and back home. Yet, the silver haired Italian was nowhere to be seen. Tsuna decided to continue on, it was getting late.

_But don't you think it was weird for Hibari to come and attack me?_ Tsuna began walking, speedily.

_**I think the guy is off his rocker most of time.**_ Ietsuna joked, but Tsuna found himself agreeing with his split personality. The disciplinarian prefect was a weird one perhaps that was all there was to it and he was over analyzing the whole situation.

* * *

"I'm so sorry I didn't wait for you today, Tenth, but when I heard what happened to you this morning I went after Hibari…but baseball freak stopped me!" Gokudera cried out as soon as Tsuna walked through the classroom door.

"You didn't have to do that." Tsuna told the bomber. Although, Gokudera was obvious peeved about the occurrences of this morning, he seemed happy to Tsuna. The brunette was quick to notice how brighter the other seemed. Or perhaps, he was being conceited and it was the overprotective gleam in Gokudera's eyes that he saw. Ietsuna was screaming stalker in his head, but the brunette ignored his alter-ego.

Tsuna placed his school bag on the side of his desk and sat down. He turned to Yamamoto, who was on a few seats down from him. "You told, Gokudera?"

"He is your boyfriend, isn't he?" Yamamoto said, looking to Tsuna.

The brunette noted the way the baseball fanatic mentioned his relationship with Gokudera. It was icy, something Tsuna thought he would never hear from the carefree Yamamoto. The freshman ignored it, perhaps Yamamoto was angry about this morning or Gokudera had finally gotten to him. Nonetheless, Tsuna found himself blushing at the statement, he never acknowledged his relationship with Gokudera out loud, and it was unsaid that they were a couple.

The baseball team captain added. "Plus, he saw us when we got kicked out of your house."

"I see…" Tsuna nodded.

"By the way, what the hell were you doing by the tenth's house?" Gokudera turned to the athlete.

Yamamoto's brown eyes shifted to the silver haired guard dog. "I was in the area."

"Bullshit!" Gokudera yelled, making heads turn in their direction.

Feeling the burning gazes on his back, Tsuna attempted to stop Gokudera from shouting so loudly. "Um…well everything was resolved in the end."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you." Gokudera apologized with his head bowed.

"It's okay." Tsuna placed his hands up as if in surrender. Tsuna smiled at Gokudera. "I didn't get hurt and my father was there."

"Your ol' man is scary." Yamamoto chuckled.

The bomber looked up and looked to Yamamoto, venom in his emerald irises. "You met the tenth's father?!"

"Don't worry we didn't start off on the right foot." The tall athlete assured Gokudera, who made a face of triumphant and relief.

"He's normally not like that." Tsuna commented, stopping himself from rolling his eyes. _Usually, he's too busy drinking, sleeping or leaving for long periods of time. He's useless. _It wasn't that he hated his father. The brunette was sure Iemitsu was a good man, but Tsuna couldn't forgive him for being gone for so long without any explanation.

Suddenly the classroom door opened and stepped in an upperclassman with short white hair, gray eyes, bandaged hands, and a scar on the side of his forehead. The gray-eyed student turned his eyes to Tsuna and roared. "Sawada!"

"Who the fuck is you?" Gokudera barked at the upperclassman, getting up from his seat.

"Sasagawa Ryohei." Tsuna and Yamamoto said in unison. It was hard not to know who Ryohei was, but Gokudera recently transferred to Namimori High, so he obviously didn't know. Not only was he captain of the boxing club, but he was also pretty rambunctious. Tsuna knew him because he was the older brother of his old crush, Kyoko. He remembered how intimidated he was to talk to Kyoko in middle school, when her older brother was around. Somehow Ryohei was even scarier now.

The energetic boxer ignored Gokudera, his eyes still on the brunette. He requested. "Join the Boxing club!"

Tsuna opened his mouth to decline, but his boyfriend beat him to the punch. "Why would the tenth ever join your stupid club?"

"To get stronger!" Ryohei turned to Gokudera this time; it seemed that the bomber's jab got to the boxer.

Gokudera spat back. "He doesn't need to get stronger, the tenth has me."

"Sawada has a lot of potential…I saw him fight-" Ryohei began, but did not finish. Tsuna had quickly leapt out of his chair and ushered the upperclassman out of the classroom. Leaving Gokudera and Yamamoto confused and very curious by the brunette's actions. Tsuna ignored it, he would have to cover himself later, but right now he had to stop Ryohei from speaking about his fight with Hibari.

_**Tsuna…**_Ietsuna called.

_This isn't the time, Ietsuna. _Tsuna thought back as he closed the classroom door shut behind him. The hallways were pretty empty because class would start soon, so Tsuna didn't have much time.

_**Join the boxing club.**_ Ietsuna said.

Tsuna raised an eyebrow. _Why?_

_**I can learn a few things and maybe he'll shut up about my fight with Hibari, if you did join. **_Ietsuna reasoned.

Tsuna believed that Ietsuna had a point about Ryohei, but he didn't want Ietsuna to force himself. He knew he wanted to protect him, but was his alter-ego truly going to join the boxing club in order to reach his goal. It was admirable, but was it the right way? _It's worth a try._

Tsuna looked to Ryohei and began his proposal. "Sasagawa-san, I'll join the boxing club on one condition."

"Really?!" The boxer said excitedly, no one had eagerly joined his club. He's been so used to people telling "no", things like "not in a million years" or even laughing his face, that he didn't know how to take Tsuna's willingness.

"You can't talk about my fight with Hibari, okay?" The freshman said.

"But why not?! It shows how much guts-"

Tsuna cut the other off. "I wouldn't join your club if you can't promise me that."

"Alright! It's a deal." Ryohei agreed. Tsuna extended his hand out, so that they could shake on it, but instead the upperclassman went with a **friendly** tap to his shoulder.

"Okay." Tsuna choked out as he cringed from the not-so-soft punch to his shoulder. "I'll meet you afterschool."

"Afterschool." The boxer grunted before he went off to his class before the bell rung.

* * *

A sleek ebony 2008 Maserati Quattroporte pulled up in front of the Sawada Residence. The driver's side door and out stepped Reborn clad in his usual suit and fedora get up. After the other day's fiasco, he decided to rent his own car and drive. The Hitman couldn't risk a third party getting involved in the crossfire of the assassination attempts against him. Reborn closed the door of his car and briskly walked to the front door of the modest house that belonged to his candidate. He rang the door bell and waited for someone to answer.

In a few moments the door was opened. Standing in the threshold was a small woman with brown hair and eyes. His candidate's mother. From the brightness of her eyes and her lack of suspicion about his attire, Reborn gathered she knew nothing of the mafia. The woman greeted cheerfully. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon." Reborn addressed with a slight smirk. The same half smirk he used to charm any woman he laid eyes on.

Expectantly, Nana blushed, but was otherwise unfazed by Reborn's charisma. "Good afternoon. How can I help you?"

"Does Sawada Tsunayoshi live here?" The Italian questioned.

Tsuna's mother blinked her eyes at the sound of her son's name. The spell had completely worn off. "Tsu-kun is still in school? Are you a friend of his?"

"No, I'm a friend of the family. I know his father, Sawada Iemitsu."

"Would you like to speak with him?" Nana asked.

Reborn asked surprisingly. "He's here?"

"Yes." Nana nodded, opening the door wide enough for Reborn to enter. She silently ushered him into the living room as she closed the front door. "Make yourself right at home. Would you like anything to drink?"

Reborn shook his head. Nana smiled pleasantly as she slipped away calling out to her husband. "Iemitsu, honey. You have a guest."

Iemitsu left his place from in front of the television and went to see who this guest was. Not many knew he was here, so he was kind of surprised at having a visitor. On his way, he tried to straighten his clothing, attempting to make it less obvious that he was sitting on his ass all day. But there wasn't much you could do with a wife beater and boxers. He entered the living room and his brown eyes caught the sight of black. Iemitsu saw the dark fedora and already knew he had to put on his poker face.

"Reborn." The blonde called out as he came over and sat across from the Hitman.

Reborn's eyes surveyed Iemitsu from under the rim of his hat. "It's been a while."

The blonde cut straight to the chase, he knew Reborn wasn't here to visit him. "Why are you here?"

"For Tsunayoshi." Reborn said simply.

"What about Timoteo's son?" Iemitsu questioned. The blonde's brown eyes more unwelcoming than earlier.

Reborn was surprised by how knowledgeable Iemitsu was about the situation. However, Iemitsu was the external advisor and Timoteo probably did confide in him about his son's candidacy. "He isn't the right fit."

"And Tsuna is?" Iemitsu questioned.

"It hasn't been decided yet." Reborn said, his voice as cryptic as his words.

Iemitsu sighed, slightly shutting down. "I didn't want Tsuna to be a part of _that_…but if he passes, I think he could be what Vongola needs."

Reborn eyed Iemitsu for a moment, before speaking. "Are you giving me your blessing?"

"Even if I didn't, would you even care? You'll do what you need to. I respect that."

"I respect you, Iemitsu. It's not every day that a father willing allows his only son to enter the mafia underworld." Reborn commented.

"Strong men do things they don't want to." Iemitsu said to the Italian, it was something that both men could understand. The blonde was sure that Reborn had to things that he was totally against and Iemitsu knew it very well, he had made those tough decisions as well. He didn't want Tsuna to compromise himself like he, Reborn and many of the men in mafia had to. Iemitsu wanted his son to live a carefree life, but that was the price that was paid when you had blood ties to the mafia.

* * *

Afterschool, Tsuna went to the boxing club with Gokudera. Before he met up with Ryohei, Tsuna decided to switch places with Ietsuna in the locker room. Ietsuna hoped that no could tell the difference between Tsuna and himself. Tsuna's alter ego undoubtedly knew he could dupe Ryohei, the boxer wasn't that bright. Yet, his main concern was Gokudera. He was smart and head over heels in love with Tsuna, if anyone would catch on, it would doubtlessly be him. So, he tried his best not to appear too out of character. Though, Ietsuna didn't even have to bother trying. As soon as he entered the boxing room, the bomber and the boxer were at each other's throats.

"Listen lawn head, if you do anything foul with tenth; I'll blow your face off." The silver haired boy threatened Ryohei.

Ryohei spat back. "What was that, Octopus head?!"

Ietsuna watched the two idiots before him. They were arguing over nothing and he was getting bored of hearing them squabble. He wanted to start training and they would get nowhere if this continued. This didn't sit well with Ietsuna; he wanted to get stronger so he could protect Tsuna and if he couldn't do that, it was a big problem.

He walked up to Ryohei; the older teen didn't see him coming, being too preoccupied with bickering with Gokudera. That gave Ietsuna an opening and he took it by socking Ryohei squarely on the chin. The hit connected, the arguing stopped, and the boxer was taken by surprised. Even Gokudera was stunned.

"Stop arguing and teach me." Ietsuna demanded.

Ryohei rubbed at his bruised chin, it's been a long time since anyone was able to punch him. The boxer turned to Ietsuna, giving the alter-ego his undivided attention. He placed his fists up ready for any attack. Ietsuna smiled, now this was more like it.

*****

The shower water rained down on Tsuna's body. Unfortunately, the droplets of water caused the brunette to double over in pain. His whole body was sore, except for his face and neck, which was spared. Ietsuna and Ryohei had gone all out in practice. And Tsuna kind of wished they hadn't, because he was the one suffering from his split personality's fun. The freshman leaned against the tiled wall of the shower to help stable him. He was going to be feeling this all week.

_WHAT WERE YOU DOING?! _Tsuna reprimanded Ietsuna.

_**I guess we got a bit carried away.**_The voice of his alter-ego entered his head, although Ietsuna's voice sounded apologetic, there was no promise that this would not happen again.

_A bit?! It hurts to move my pinky!_ Tsuna yelled at Ietsuna.

Tsuna could hear Ietsuna laughing in his head. _**Man up, Tsunayoshi. You're a man; you can take a little pain.**_

_This isn't a little pain…it's a lot!_

_**Alright, I'll be gentler next time**__. _Ietsuna said softly. It made Tsuna blush and he didn't know why. He was glad Ietsuna couldn't see him or his alter-ego would tease him about it. He quickly finished showering, although the cold water was soothing to the bruises and aches that decorated his body. Yet, he couldn't stay there forever with Gokudera waiting for him. His aches would heal in time, but if he knew this was the price for Ietsuna to get stronger, he would have thought about it more. "But at least, he sounds a lot happier."

Tsuna stepped out of the shower, drying himself with a towel and then quickly placing on his clothes. The brunette managed to put on his last article of clothing before someone walked into the locker room.

"Yo, Tsuna." Yamamoto greeted.

"Yamamoto, why are you here?" Tsuna asked. He was thankful for Yamamoto's awesome timing. He didn't want his friend to see his bruises.

The tall athlete explained. "Baseball practice, but I was left behind."

"Oh yeah…" Tsuna said, recalling that Yamamoto did have baseball practice today. They were preparing for an upcoming game. As Tsuna placed on his blazer, his thoughts went to this morning. "Did I ever thank you for this morning?"

"You don't have to thank me, what are friends for?" Yamamoto said his back turned to Tsuna as he was placing things away in his locker.

"Right." Tsuna smiled at the other. Yamamoto really was a good friend to him and even to this day, he was still surprised that a popular guy like Yamamoto was his friend.

"But…" Yamamoto began as he slowly turned to Tsuna.

_**Tsuna… **_Ietsuna warned.

Tsuna looked to the baseball fanatic and realized he was about to say something very serious. It was rare for Yamamoto to be serious. The brunette stopped what he was doing and gave the other his undivided attention. "I don't want to be just friends."

As Yamamoto leaned toward him, everything moved painstakingly slow. Tsuna was just staring at the taller boy as he drew closer to him. The brunette was trapped into stillness like a deer in headlights. Any movement for protest would have been for naught, the baseball captain had already pressed his lips against Tsuna's. Tsuna didn't know how to react; he was so surprised by Yamamoto's actions that he mistakenly allowed Ietsuna to take over.

Ietsuna punched Yamamoto squarely in the cheek, causing the athlete to be knocked to the ground. Ietsuna knew this would happen. He knew ever since the baseball idiot laid eyes on Tsuna and he tried to warn his naïve host, but he didn't take his warning seriously. Ietsuna glared at Yamamoto with a stern and cold look.

"Don't you dare touch, Tsunayoshi!" Ietsuna ordered, lowly.

Yamamoto rubbed his cheek and looked up at Tsuna in awe. The athlete noticed that Tsuna seemed different. The mousy boy that he liked didn't have fiery orange eyes and he was confused by the other's words. It wasn't something Tsuna would say, the boy he knew would be flustered and why did he refer to himself as another person. "Huh?"

Ietsuna blinked and realized he messed up. The alter-ego quickly switched back with Tsuna. When Tsuna re-entered his body and became conscious of his surroundings, he was surprised to see Yamamoto on the floor with a reddening mark on his cheek. "Yamamoto, what happened?"

"You punched me." Yamamoto stated, looking up at Tsuna in awe and confusion.

"I di-" All he remembered before he blacked out was the baseball fanatic kissing him. That's right, Yamamoto kissed him! Not even Gokudera did that to him, they hadn't gotten that far. "I'm sorry, I was surprised. Did I hurt you?"

Yamamoto shook his head and chuckled a little. "I went a little far, didn't I?"

Tsuna nodded his head. "You did."

Yamamoto down-casted his eyes, ashamed at himself. A moment later, he looked to Tsuna and admitted. "I couldn't help myself."

"I'm sorry." Tsuna apologized, but the brunette wasn't sure what he was apologizing for.

"Do you like Gokudera that much?" Yamamoto asked Tsuna as he got off the floor.

Tsuna was surprised by the question. Did he like Gokudera? When Gokudera had first asked him out, he just went with the flow out of curiosity and having his low self esteem boosted. Yet, Tsuna had never thought of it like that. Gokudera seemed more of a friend than a boyfriend. He also felt that way towards Yamamoto.

"No." Tsuna finally said, but it made him feel terrible to say it. He knew that in some way Gokudera liked him, and it would break his heart to know it was only one-sided. He left the locker room after that, not knowing what to say to Yamamoto.

*****

Tsuna walked into his house exhausted. It took a lot of energy to persuade Gokudera in letting him walk alone. After talking with Yamamoto, Tsuna wasn't comfortable walking home with Gokudera. It would make him feel even worse over the whole thing. It had been a long day; he just wanted to go to his room and not be disturbed. Tsuna needed to think. How was he going to deal with Gokudera? What was he to do about Yamamoto? And could his body really handle Ietsuna and Ryohei's sparring sessions?!

"Tsu-kun?" His mother walked up to him. "You have a guest in your room."

"A guest?" Tsuna said, wondering who it could be. He wasn't in the mood to see anyone, but he couldn't do anything about it. They were already here.

Tsuna climbed up the stairs, warily, wondering who it could be. The brunette hoped it wasn't Hibari-san or even Mukuro Rokudo. Tsuna entered his room to find a tall man, in a black suit with dark hair and eyes. The strange man leaning against a wall, waiting for the petite boy. The mysterious man was intimidating; this person had a sort of energy that surrounded him. A dark cloud that was murderous, and yet calm.

"So, you're Sawada Tsunayoshi?" The man finally said. Tsuna watched as the other stepped away from the wall and when he straightened, he looked even taller than how the brunette had first assumed.

"Y-yes." The brunette confirmed.

Reborn gave Tsuna the once over, his dark eyes looking Tsuna up and down. Already starting to nit-pick him. He slouched, his hair was a bird's nest, his eyes were too big, his mouth was gaping open, he was short, and he was too skinny. The hitman condensed all his vices against Tsuna into one sentence. "You look pathetic."

"Huh?" Tsuna reacted to the insult. He then shook it off and asked the question he'd been dying to ask since he walked into his room. "Who are you?"

"My name is Reborn." The Italian introduced himself.

"Reborn?"Tsuna repeated the other's name. It was weird, the stranger was definitely a foreigner. Although, the Hitman spoke pretty good Japanese. "Why did you come to see me?"

Reborn revealed. "You're a candidate to become the next heir of the Vongola family."

"Vongola family?" Tsuna repeated, tongue-tied by the usual word.

"The Italian mafia." Reborn informed the mousy boy before him. Tsuna's father hadn't lied about keeping his mafia lifestyle a secret from his family.

"Impossible." Tsuna said unconvinced.

"It's true. I wouldn't have traveled all this way from Italy, if it wasn't."

"Then, why me?" The brunette questioned, as he went over to his bed. He sat and allowed the older man to speak. If all of this was true, he needed to sit down and if it wasn't true, well at least he was comfortable.

"Technically, you have Vongola blood in your veins, thanks to your great great grandfather, who immigrated to Japan."

Tsuna frowned, "Isn't that a bit farfetched?"

"I deliver the facts, not make them." Reborn said calmly, but he didn't like Tsuna's tone. He had an urge to hurt him for such disobedience, but in due time, he'll have that right.

"So are you going to take me to Italy?" Tsuna mused, waiting for the camera crew and someone to say, that he's been had.

"No, not yet. You're far from becoming a mafia boss. You're an eyesore."

Tsuna closed his eyes shut. Reborn had been insulting him far too much and such a short span of time, which was getting Ietsuna agitated. His alter-ego had a few choice words to call Reborn, some he didn't want to repeat. The brunette tried his best to suppress his other half from coming out, but it was becoming more difficult, the longer Reborn was here. Ietsuna was unnerved by this man. Tsuna didn't know why. "….stop it."

Reborn raised an eyebrow, confused by Tsuna's weird demeanor. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Tsuna said with a small nervous smile. He straightened up and tried his best to convince Reborn, he wasn't struggling with his split personality. "If you don't think I'm good enough for the position, isn't there another candidate?"

"There is." The Italian admitted.

The brunette asked, sounding hopeful. "Then why not choose them?"

Reborn shook his head. "It's been already decided that the two candidates must fight for the title."

"What?!" Tsuna leapt from his bed and onto his feet. "But I don't want to fight anyone…the other candidate can be the next Vongola boss, I don't want it."

Reborn lost his cool and growled. "You don't have a choice. He's coming to kill you, whether you want the title or not."

"What?!" Tsuna exclaimed.

Reborn offered. "So, do you want to die or do you want me to help you?"

_I don't want either._ Tsuna thought to himself. This was too much; he wanted to go back to the ignorant bliss he had been blessed with. Life had been easier with just dealing with Ietsuna, now he had to worry about being the heir of an Italian mafia and fighting to keep a title he doesn't want.

"You don't have a choice." Reborn said, grimly. "He's already on his way. He'll kill you and everyone you know."

Tsuna grimaced, wondering what kind of madman was coming to kill him, but more importantly what was he going to do about it? The brunette felt like running away, but he couldn't do that. He would be leaving everyone behind, and that wasn't right. Tsuna couldn't leave them behind to deal with his problem. He needed to take care of this. Tsuna sighed and looked up at Reborn. "Fine, I'll do it."

Chapter Seven End

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you like this installment of the story. The chapter is a lot longer than the first six chapters. I don't have much to say on this chapter, except look for the next one. Please review, it gives me power. Also if you have suggestions, I'm willing to listen as long as good intentions are behind them. Thank you for reading.

Answered questions:

bluewingedvampyre69: Yes, it is possible for Ietsuna and Tsuna to be a couple. But the main pairing hasn't been decided yet.


	8. Man Hunt

The Other Me

A Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or its characters. All rights go to Akira Amano and her publishers.

Chapter Eight: Man Hunt

Just a few moments ago, Tsuna had agreed to fight for candidacy to be boss of an Italian crime syndicate. The brunette had not been lured in by the incentive of money or power, but a simpler reason of protecting the innocent. He heard from Reborn that the other candidate was ruthless enough to harm him and anyone he held dear. Tsuna just couldn't allow that. Even if he was the biggest coward in the world, Tsuna didn't want the deaths of his family or friends on his conscience, merely because he was foolish enough to run away. Running away never solved problems it only escalated the issue until you were brave enough to clean up the mess.

"First, you must pass a test." Reborn said after Tsuna's acceptance. He watched the brunette's eyes widened slightly at the word of being tested.

"A test?" Tsuna questioned.

The older man peered at the brunette and explained. "If you can get rid of the Hitman shadowing me, then I will give you the items you need to train."

Tsuna frowned at this. He was under the impression that Reborn had come here to help him, and at a time like this he decided to administer tests. He didn't have the time or the patience for what the older man proposed. Not to mention he was terrible at test-taking. "But I thought you were going to help me?"

"Nothing in this world is given unless earned." The Hitman stated. Reborn wasn't going to make it that easy. It was one thing to accept the inevitable, but this brat had another thing coming if he thought he'll baby him. That wasn't how he went about his business, and Tsuna was going to learn the hard, grueling way as his other pupils once did.

Tsuna groaned inwardly, he did believe that things should be earned, but when it came to something so crucial, he wasn't sure. Did he really have time to do this? And to go after a Hitman, even? "Why do I have to get rid of a Hitman, aren't you more suited for something like that?"

"If he isn't dealt with, then he'll get in the way of your training trying to kill me." The Italian gave a very sound reply.

Tsuna gave in. There was no getting around this, in order to protect everyone; Tsuna had to pass this test. He sighed heavily. "Okay. What does this Hitman look like?"

"Oh, you can't miss him." Reborn started. "He'll be the one with murderous intent, pointing a gun at my back."

Tsuna frowned at Reborn's sarcasm, it was obvious what the Hitman would be trying to kill him, but it would be helpful if he was given more distinct features to look for. Tsuna didn't know if Reborn was deliberately being secretive to make this harder or making him look stupid, but he had accomplish the latter. "I'll keep a look out."

Reborn looked down at his sleeve and pulled it back to reveal an expensive silver watch. For a few moments he studied the time and then looked back to Tsuna. "I'll give you till this time tomorrow to catch him."

"That's not a lot of time!" Tsuna exclaimed.

The Hitman shrugged his shoulders, showing how little he cared about the time constraint. If Tsuna was truly worthy of being a candidate for Vongola, then he could at least do this. Reborn did not relent. "If you can't do it, then it can't be helped. You were destined to die."

_What?!_ Tsuna exclaimed in head.

Ietsuna's words were a bit more colorful. _**Tell him to go fuc-**_

_Ietsuna!_ Tsuna reprimanded.

"This is where I'm staying." Reborn offered Tsuna a white business card. The hotel was located in Roppongi. "He'll probably be around there as well."

"Okay." Tsuna said accepting the card. Thankfully, there was no school tomorrow. He would have all day to track this person down. After this Reborn left. The Italian said nothing more than advising Tsuna to sleep early tonight. Tsuna took the other's advice, already knowing it would be a long day. A very, very long day.

As Tsuna settled in for the night, his mind was still thinking of the things he was told. Now he was heir to an Italian mafia family. It seemed unreal. He still couldn't believe it.

_**I still say you should have kicked that bastard out .**_

_Goodnight, Ietsuna_ Tsuna said as he went to sleep. Somehow it was really soothing to know Ietsuna didn't have a high opinion of Reborn. There wasn't much about Reborn that could make Tsuna dislike him, but since the Hitman had the unfortunate task of leading him into the world of the Mafia, he seemed antagonistic. Maybe, when he got used to the idea that he was a mafia boss in training, the Hitman would grow on him. But at least, he had Ietsuna with him to express the things that he was too self-conscious to say or believe.

* * *

"VOOOIIIIIIII." A long haired man yelled as he entered the threshold into the Vongola headquarters. Clad in black, from head to toe and his straight white hair billowing after him like a cape. The maids and servants averted their eyes from the assassin as stormed through the mansion in search for someone. Finally, his heavy steps lead him to two large doors. The doors were old fashioned, heavy, and yet were effortlessly pushed opened as if they were made of air. The long haired man peered into the room, which was dark. The only light coming into the room was from the windows. He stepped in without a second of hesitation, maneuvering in the dark like he had the room memorized.

"Are you in here, asshole?" The swordsman said as he looked around in the dark for a certain person.

Something shifted behind him and he swiftly turned around, managing to cut an aimed projectile in half. The item used to be an armchair, probably antique. But such things didn't matter to the thrower or the person who cut into them out of self-defense.

"You're noisy, trash." A voice came from the side where the chair had been thrown from. It sounded annoyed and tired. The swordsman heard more shuffling as if someone was getting up from a chair and now he could hear heavy boots walking over to him. The red eyes of the one he sought were the first thing he saw. It was usually the thing the assassin looked at first. Those crimson irises held so much revulsion for anyone he laid eyes on, it was almost awe-inspiring. Not that he would admit this to the bastard. "I see, Gregorio didn't kill you."

"Bastard." The swordsman growled. Right now Gregorio was swimming with the sharks, literally. However, it could have been him and not Gregorio. He didn't know how he survived, but he'll be damned if he died in such an unsightly way. Especially, if it gave this bastard any fucking satisfaction. Xanxus sent him, knowing it would be one against twenty. He was under the assumption that he was doing a simple assassination mission to eradicate some scum that was acting as a mole for a rival family. Yet, when he arrived at the designated spot, he was the one being targeted. It was then that he knew he had been deceived and fought every man there was to stay alive. That was why he was so damned pissed off.

"That mole was giving information to our rival family, but if you died in the crossfire, then it'll be hitting two birds with one stone." The Italian said as he sat in another chair, not intimidated by the man wielding the sword.

"You'll love to get rid of me, but you can't. I'm harder to kill than a cockroach." Squalo boosted with a smirk.

Xanxus grinned back. "Yes, you are a cockroach."

"Why you-?" Squalo started again.

"Squ-chan, Xanxus-sama, are you two fighting again? What will I do with the both of you?" A man with neon green hair and sunglasses sauntered in.

"This shithead tried to get me killed again!" Squalo screamed as he glared at Xanxus, who uninterestedly gazed out a window.

Another person walked into the room, his blonde bangs covering his eyes and a silver tiara on his head. "Ushishi, I guess I lost to Mammon again. You actually came back in one piece."

"You owe me 300 euro." A hooded figure told the prince as he materialized into the room.

Another stepped into the room due to the commotion. "You'll get him next time, Xanxus-sama."

Squalo turned to the newcomer. "Fuck you, Levi, always kissing the bastard's ass."

"Shut the fuck up!" Xanxus yelled making everyone become silent. All eyes were on Xanxus, and no one dared blink an eye. "We're leaving to Japan , tonight. So get your shit together by eight or we'll leave your ass behind."

"To Japan ?" Squalo started and his blue eyes narrowed, "So it's been decided, then."

Xanxus didn't acknowledge if it was a yes or no, but he didn't need to. They were going to Japan, and that pretty much said it all, Xanxus had to fight to keep his title. The swordsman was divided on how he felt, on one hand, he thought it was about time for the bastard to get off his ass and actually work for something. The Italian threw his title around selfishly, making people move mountains for him. However, Squalo felt this was Xanxus's birthright to become the next boss, it was owed to him. Nonetheless, Squalo turned to the rowdy lot not expressing his inner conflict. "You heard him, trash. Get to it."

* * *

_**What are they doing here?**_ Ietsuna asked Tsuna.

The brunette rode in between Yamamoto and Gokudera. The two had seen him on his way to the train station. Gokudera was on his way to his house to see if Ryohei had hurt him and Yamamoto was coming back from a morning delivery for his father's Sushi restaurant. Accidently, Tsuna slipped that he had to go to Roppongi and the two volunteered to go with him. Tsuna didn't want them involved, but they were insistent in accompanying him, so the brunette gave in. The more the merrier. However, Ietsuna wasn't pleased.

_To help, I guess._ Tsuna told his alter-ego.

_**Then, are you going to tell them about the mafia stuff, too?**_ Ietsuna questioned.

Tsuna frowned. _They are my friends, but I don't want them involved in something dangerous._

His alter-ego teased. _**Don't you mean love interests? **_

The brunette fought back the heat rising to his face. There was some truth to what Ietsuna said. Yamamoto did kiss him and confess that he didn't want to be only friends and Tsuna was currently going out with Gokudera. The brunette was in a quandary; he never imagined a person like himself would be in. Then again, did most people have another personality living in the same body? Probably not. Right now, Tsuna was trying to forget about his love life problems and focus on the task at hand; he had to stop Reborn's Hitman. He needed to pass this test in order for the Italian to train him and if he didn't pass, he was royally screwed.

"Tsuna." Yamamoto called the brunette back to earth. Once Tsuna turned to look at him, the baseball fanatic continued. "Where are we going again?"

Tsuna opened his mouth to speak, but Gokudera interjected. "Roppongi, you idiot."

Despite, Gokudera's insult, the baseball captain continued to smile brightly. "I know that, but where in Roppongi?"

Tsuna pulled out the business card in his pocket and read, "The Ritz-Carlton."

The silver haired bomber raised his eyebrows at this. "That expensive hotel?"

"Yes, I have to follow the person that lives there." Tsuna said, hoping it didn't sound as weird out loud as it did in his head.

"What is he a millionaire or something?" Yamamoto inquired, curious about the person the brunette would be following. Roppongi was well known in Tokyo for foreign expats and U.S. naval visitors. Sometimes even celebrities were spotted there.

"No, he's my…" Tsuna tried to think. The freshman didn't want Gokudera and Yamamoto to know about the Mafia stuff, so Tsuna couldn't say Reborn was a Hitman. But what could he say that would be acceptable and not bring up any kind of suspicion?

_**Say, home tutor**_. Ietsuna suggested.

"My home tutor. He's from Italy." Tsuna lied, thanking Ietsuna mentally for his save. He would not have figured it out otherwise.

"I didn't know you had a tutor." Gokudera said to Tsuna. The bomber was mentally scolding himself for not knowing this piece of information.

"Well, my grades are pretty bad and there isn't a cram school close by, so my mother hired one to come to my house." Tsuna further stretched the truth, but it was believable. He did suck at school and his neighborhood didn't have any cram schools.

"So why do you want to follow him?" The baseball athlete asked.

"There's this other student who wants him as their tutor, so I wanted to talk to him." Tsuna continued his untruth.

"Don't worry, tenth. I'll take care of it." Gokudera volunteered, but knowing the bomber's method of dealing with people, he would opt for violence, instead of something diplomatic. Then again they would be dealing with a Hitman, maybe that way was appropriate.

"Tenth," Gokudera said softly, getting Tsuna's attention. It was funny how little he knew about Gokudera, but how he could determine when the other had something very difficult to say. It was easier for Gokudera to sling insults, then to actually be nice. Tsuna braced himself. "Maybe we could go see a movie afterwards?"

Tsuna stared blankly at Gokudera, was he asking him on a date? The bomber looked expectantly at the brunette. Tsuna believed he had every right to, they were going out and it was expected that they did things like that together. However, the brunette was having trouble, giving Gokudera an answer. "Um…"

Yamamoto chimed in. "A movie? That'll be fun."

Gokudera's kind emerald eyes darted to the grinning baseball idiot, pinning the dark haired boy with a blood curling glare. "I was talking to the tenth, not you!"

"But you didn't say I couldn't come." The athlete added playfully. Unfortunately, Gokudera was very serious.

Gokudera spat back. "I'm saying you can't come, stupid!"

Tsuna frowned, he felt like he was being pulled to either side. Gokudera was pulling him one way and Yamamoto was testing him, pulling him in another. He couldn't deal with this right now; his life was hanging the balance.

"We probably won't have time anyway." Tsuna dismissed, but the brunette didn't like how he handled that. He was running away and that would only cause more problems down the line. Tsuna had to figure out what he wanted. And what he desired was…

"But maybe we could go tomorrow, just the two of us." Tsuna offered Gokudera. In the end, he wanted to be fair. The bomber made a move on him first and he hadn't really given their relationship a chance. It wouldn't be fair to him or Gokudera, if he didn't see this through. Yamamoto would have to respect that.

"Sure, tenth." Gokudera was very pleased by this. To the point where he gave a slightly smug glance over to Yamamoto.

"Maybe next time, Yamamoto." The brunette offered with a slight smile. He hoped Yamamoto would understand and not take this to the heart.

The baseball captain gazed at Tsuna with some understanding as he leaned into his seat. "Next time, then."

And of course, Ietsuna needed to add his two cents into the mix. _**His little baseball heart is breaking. Great job, Tsunayoshi.**_

_I feel bad already, but fair is fair._ Tsuna resolved. He was being just, but it still cut him deep. Yamamoto had confessed to him, placing his heart on the line for him and he shut him down. He knew how hard it was to tell someone you liked them. He never had the courage to tell Kyoko how he felt. But he couldn't just jump into someone else's arms just because they confessed to him; it would compromise Gokudera and himself.

The rest of the train ride was pretty awkward. Yamamoto was uncharacteristically silent and Gokudera was a blissful trance. The silence was killing Tsuna, so he shot up from his seat as soon as the train pulled into the station. "This is our stop."

The trio left the train and started towards Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Within minutes they were nearing the front of an impressive high-rise building. It was very rare to have buildings so high in Tokyo, mainly because of the frequent earthquakes.

"That's him." Tsuna pointed out at a man wearing an expensive dark suit and black fedora with an orange strip.

"That's your home tutor?" Yamamoto questioned as he observed the older man walking down the street. The Hitman had a certain air about him, a mix of deadliness and grace wrapped in a very handsome packaged. "He looks kind of scary."

"He's very strict." Tsuna commented as he watched with Yamamoto.

Gokudera is surprisingly quiet through Yamamoto and Tsuna's banter. The bomber noticed the man right off the bat. Gokudera knew he was no home tutor; he was much more dangerous than that. He was a Hitman. However, he decided not to disclose his thoughts in front of Yamamoto for now. When he was alone with Tsuna, then he would tell him.

"Where is he going?" Yamamoto questioned as they began following the Italian.

"How about you pipe down? He'll hear us." Gokudera barked at Yamamoto's brainlessness. They were supposed to be following the tenth's home tutor, not getting themselves caught.

Yamamoto chuckled. "Oh yeah."

"Baseball idiot." Gokudera sneered, but the athlete seemed like his normal self. Tsuna was relieved to see that the baseball captain wasn't too disheartened. It was as if nothing had ever happened between them.

Reborn's destination was at a local Starbucks, where he sat down to have some coffee and read the Japanese and Italian newspapers. The trio discreetly watched the Hitman from a distance, by a table by the entrance. While they were in the coffee shop, they saw no signs of anyone approaching Reborn. Some woman would regard the Hitman from afar, ogling his features and contemplating the size of his wallet, as well as, other things. But other than that, Reborn was pretty much left to his own devices.

Then the Hitman moved to the Roppongi Hills, walking around and browsing around shops that were too expensive and so far out of their league. Tsuna was started to get tired of following Reborn. Last night, the Italian made it seem like this hostile Hitman was fiercely out to kill him. For some reason, the brunette was expecting to find this opposing Hitman diving for Reborn's throat as soon as they arrived, but that wasn't the case. Perhaps, there was more patience involved in assassination, lying in wait for the perfect opening. Either way, Tsuna wasn't enjoying this venture and time was running out. It would soon be lunch time; he wouldn't be any closer to passing Reborn's test.

_**Tsunayoshi…**_ Ietsuna cautioned his host. Usually, when his alter-ego did this something was going to happen. His honey irises looked over to his "home tutor", Reborn was still window shopping and the area around him seemed normal. No one approached Reborn. The mousy adolescent than noticed something a few feet away from the Hitman. A shadowed figure was hiding behind a pillar. Tsuna watched as the lurker observed Reborn.

_Could that be?_ Tsuna wondered, watching the shroud person.

Suddenly, the mysterious lurker pulled out something from his pocket and tossed it. The object flew towards Reborn in a blur. The object is about to hit the ebony haired male, when the Hitman nonchalantly lifted his hand up to yawn, the object was parried away from him and took to the air. Soon after the small object exploded, causing an earsplitting blast. Chaos sprung out in the shopping area, people screaming and racing to safety. However, the three boys were awestruck by what occurred.

"D-did he just deflect a bomb?!" Tsuna cried out in astonishment.

However, the bomber was doing calculations in his head, measuring the speed of which the grenade was going, matching the timing of Reborn's parry seemed pretty remarkable. Plus, Gokudera knew from dealing with explosives that they were very sensitive, especially when dealing with grenades, sometimes the slightest tap had the potential to blow your face off. Such fearlessness in the face of potential danger and excellent precision executed by the Hitman did bring about awe in the young student. But still Gokudera didn't trust the bastard. The only composed one of the trio was, of course Yamamoto, who had a big grin on his face. The whole thing was like an incredible performance by highly trained professionals. No danger here. He then praised Tsuna. "Your tutor is awesome!"

"Y-yea." Even Tsuna had to admit it, Reborn was incredible. If he wasn't dreading this whole mafia thing, he would have been glad to have someone like Reborn to assist him. He watched as Reborn dusted off his clothing, from falling debris, the Italian was fine. When Tsuna turned back to the place the lurker stood, he found that the person was no longer there. Tsuna's eyes returned to his tutor and realized the ebony headed assassin had blended into the crowd. "Where did Reborn go?"

The brunette left his current position, racing over to the panicky crowd to find the Italian assassin. He had to keep an eye on Reborn, or else the Hitman could get him, when he wasn't near.

"Tenth!" Gokudera called after Tsuna as he saw the other enter the crowd.

"Tsuna! Wait up!" Yamamoto attempted to stop the brunette.

However, their cries had fallen onto deafen ears. Tsuna was already well into the crowd and all he could make out from was hysterics from the crowd and the calm directions from people assisting the panicked shoppers.

* * *

For a good hour, Tsuna wandered about looking for the Italian Hitman. However, Reborn was nowhere to be found, he hadn't even left a trace behind. The brunette didn't even see any signs of the dark haired boy that was after Reborn. From what he glimpsed at, the other Hitman had to be about his age or younger. Tsuna wondered why someone his age would be hunting Reborn. Didn't he have school? Wouldn't his mother scold him for taking up such a dangerous lifestyle?

"Nice seeing you here, Tsunayoshi-kun." Tsuna jumped as he heard Mukuro's voice. The brunette whirled around and saw the blue haired delinquent a foot away. The blue haired delinquent was unexpectedly dressed in a dark suit, white dress shirt with the top three buttons were open, showing a glimpse of his chest, and a dark tie loosely swinging around his neck. Tsuna had the admit that Mukuro seemed less treacherous dressed like that, but knowing what the other was capable of, he didn't allow himself to forget that the delinquent had claws.

"What are you doing here?" The brunette questioned.

"I direct that same question to you. You don't seem like the type to be here." Mukuro questioned as he shortened the distance between them, walking over to the smaller boy.

"I'm looking for someone." Tsuna answered, tensing up as the blue haired teen came closer.

Mukuro raised an eyebrow at the brunette's answer. "Your boyfriend, perhaps?"

Tsuna's eyes widened when he realized that Gokudera and Yamamoto were not with him. They must have gotten separated during the chaos. He was so caught up in finding Reborn that he had forgotten them. He then realized how vulnerable he was, he had no one here to protect him except Ietsuna, but Mukuro was too suspicious of his alter-ego already.

"Or are you running away from him?" Mukuro smirked, leaning a bit forward. So close that the brunette had a whiff of Mukuro's cologne. It smelled of something earthy like sandalwood. There were also hints of alcohol and cigarette smoke.

_**Pineapple creep, better keep his hands to himself… **_Ietsuna threatened in Tsuna's head.

Tsuna stepped out of Mukuro's reach, out of both precaution and fright. "Don't touch me."

"You know, Tsunayoshi-kun, you still owe me?" Mukuro said, still keeping close to the brunette.

"For what?!" Tsuna inquired with a slightly raised voice.

"For letting you off the hook that morning." The heterochromatic teen informed. Mukuro's reputation at school was very important to him. It took a lot of hard work to get him to where he was and he wasn't going let Tsuna ruin it. He then added. "And if it wasn't for me, Hibari would have finished you off."

Mukuro's words registered in Tsuna's head and gradually he placed two and two together. The reason why Hibari came after him was because Mukuro stopped. "It was you?"

The blue headed delinquent grinned wolfishly in reply.

Ietsuna replied adamantly. _**You don't owe, Pineapple creep, anything. You never asked him to help you.**_

_I know that, but…_Tsuna started, but he couldn't finish. Mukuro was intent on blackmailing him, he just didn't know why. It had to be more than his reputation, the blue haired delinquent wanted something from him, but it was unclear to Tsuna what that was.

Mukuro grinned. "Or should I tell everyone about your secret?"

His fiery alter-ego tried to convince his host. _**The pineapple is lying.**_

_He knows something._ Tsuna disagreed with Ietsuna. He figured something out about them, it was clear the last time they met. Mukuro knew something, maybe he hadn't figured out the truth yet, but the illusionist was bent on finding out what that was.

Just then a black car stopped beside the two teenagers and the shaded window rolled down. Inside the car was dark, which was weird given that it was broad daylight.

"Hey." A deep voice came from the dark car. Tsuna peered inside the car and saw dark eyes looking back at him. It was Reborn.

"Reborn, how did you get there?" The brunette asked.

"I walked." Reborn answered sarcastically. "Anyway, I'm going to Asakusa."

"What?! What about the guy tailing you?" The brunette questioned, gripping the edge of the car's open window. Did the Hitman forget that he was nearly killed just an hour ago?!

"He'll be there, but more importantly, you better get there." Reborn rolled up his window, causing Tsuna to quickly retract his fingers before they were caught. The black car then sped off. Tsuna watched the car disappeared into ongoing traffic.

"Who was that?" The heterochromatic delinquent inquired, still looking at the spot where the car merged into the traffic.

"My home tutor." Tsuna told Mukuro unintentionally. At the moment, the brunette had too much on his mind to worry about giving away such a tidbit. He was trying to figure out a way to find Yamamoto and Gokudera, and also get to Asakusa fast.

The illusionist watched the brunette silently panic over his current situation. He didn't know why, but he was compelled to help him. "I could take you to Asakusa."

Tsuna turned to Mukuro, his honey eyes full of distrust. "You?"

Mukuro was amused by the russet adolescent's doubt, but it was to be expected with his repertoire. He knew he wasn't the type to offer help to others, but he wasn't doing it as a kind gesture. His generosity was simply a means to figure out the mystery behind the brunette's weird behavior. The blue haired teen explained. "I have a friend who could drive us there. It'll be faster than taking the subway."

Though the offer was appealing, he didn't trust Mukuro. Plus, he needed to find his friends. "But Gokudera and Yamamoto are still here, I can't leave them behind."

"It sounds like you don't have much time. Your home tutor is almost there and probably the man tailing him is close behind him. You could miss your chance." The other insisted, using what he heard from the brunette's conversation to add emphasis. The brunette damned him for it, because he was right. And the devilish teen smirked at him, knowing he was Tsuna's only option.

_**Tsunayoshi, don't go with him.**_ Ietsuna pleaded.

Tsuna was at a loss._ But, he's right. Reborn will get there in no time and by the time I get in contact with Gokudera and Yamamoto, he probably would have left or gotten killed by that Hitman._

_**I don't trust him. **_His alter-ego stated

The brunette thought, reasonably. _Neither do I, but time is running out. It'll be dark soon._

Ietsuna sighed heavily and then he offered a compromise._** Fine, but if he tries anything funny, I get to kick him where the sun doesn't shine.**_

Tsuna held back a snicker_. Deal. _

"Okay." Tsuna finally agreed and Mukuro immediately hopped onto his phone. When everything was confirmed, he felt a bit better about his decision. The delinquent was keeping his word and he appreciated that, but he knew this whim of benevolence will only be added to his list of things to black mail him with.

As they waited for Mukuro's friend to arrive with the car, Tsuna decided to talk with other. He was still interested in what the other was doing here. "You never answered my question. What are you doing in Roppongi?"

"I just killed someone." The illusionist said with a deadpan expression.

"What?!" Tsuna cried out, believing his blue haired schoolmate's words.

Mukuro laughed softly and revealed the truth. "Of course, I was at work."

"You work?" Tsuna repeated, surprised that the delinquent was so responsible. He had considered Mukuro as someone who gained money corruptly, not something as honest as a job.

"Yes, I work at a host club." The other revealed.

Tsuna's image of a sincere working Mukuro was then tarnished. He had to say working at a host club seemed more like the delinquent's forte. "So, you charm woman out of their money."

"Only the willing." Mukuro grinned shamelessly.

Although, Mukuro's clients were freely paying for his services, it still seemed wrong. Then again, who was he to judge? He didn't have a job or didn't have a reason for one. As Tsuna pondered the illusionist's morality, as well as how critical a person he was, a silver 2008 Toyota Crown Hybrid came up to him. The brunette was surprised at how fast the vehicle arrived. The passenger side window lowered, revealing a man with sharp dark eyes, a scar starting from his right cheek to his chin resembling claw marks and dark unruly hair, seating on the driver's side.

"This is Lanchia, my whipping boy." Mukuro introduced the driver to the brunette.

Lanchia's dark eyes menacingly averted to the blue haired teen. "Call me that again and we'll see who's whipping who."

_**I like him.**_ Ietsuna commented and Tsuna had to agree, there was something very likeable about Lanchia. Tsuna couldn't bring himself to think badly of the other, even though he looked like a vicious club bouncer.

"Where are you going?" Lanchia asked, turning back to the wheel.

"To Asakusa." Tsuna told the older man.

"Got it. Get in." The brunette followed Mukuro into the backseat of the car and as soon as the car door was closed, they started moving.

"Tsunayoshi-kun would make a good host." The illusionist began, but he didn't look to Tsuna when he spoke. Mukuro wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, but he did leave the statement hanging up in the air for debate.

"No, I wouldn't." Tsuna retorted. He would feel too guilty lying to people. Telling them they were beautiful, when he didn't think so or slipping a compliment so they could buy another drink. Plus, he didn't have that attractive appeal.

The delinquent looked over to his schoolmate. "Lanchia could tell you himself that women like your type."

Tsuna looked to the driver, and after a moment, Lanchia looked back at Tsuna through the rearview mirror. "They like the harmless ones."

_You make them sound like ravenous wolves!_ Tsuna thought to himself.

Perhaps, Tsuna had put women on pedestals, but he never thought ill of any girl. Mainly because his mother could take the form of _Yamato Nadeshiko_ [1], but even with his former crush, Kyoko, he only saw her good qualities instead of her flaws. She was kind, smart and considerate but, he was sure even she had her vices. Speaking of sweet girls, Tsuna wondered about Mukuro's adopted twin sister, Chrome. She was also one of those girls, who he couldn't picture doing anything wrong. Although everyone knew Mukuro and Chrome as the dreaded Twins, Tsuna only considered her older brother as the culprit behind Chrome's bad rap. "Where is your sister, Chrome? Don't tell me, she's a host too."

"No. They'll devour my sister." The delinquent responded. Tsuna noted how Mukuro freely called Chrome his sister. Everyone knew they were not related by blood, but it seemed endearing to the brunette that the delinquent believed that she was his sibling. The blue haired teen then added offhandedly. "She works as a waitress at a cafe."

Tsuna was relieved that timid Chrome wasn't selling herself to middle-aged business men. Then Mukuro raised an interested eyebrow. "What? Are you interested in my sweet little Chrome?"

"No!" The brunette blushed at the claim and pointed a reproachful finger at the other. "I was just wondering if you corrupted her."

"What kind of brother would I be if allowed Chrome to do that?" Mukuro said as he leaned forward to the front and placed on the radio. Messing with buttons to find a good station to listen to, the constant switching of channels distracting the disgruntled driver.

"I didn't say you could touch my radio." Lanchia grumbled as he took his eyes off the road, to glare at the delinquent.

"Tsunayoshi-kun wants to listen to music." Mukuro threw in as he continued his search for a suitable station.

"No, I don't." The brunette spoke up.

"Don't be shy," Mukuro looked over his shoulder at the petite boy. "Unless, you want to keep talking to me?"

"Music's fine." Tsuna said quickly, earning a chuckle from Lanchia and a frown from Mukuro. The blue haired delinquent finally settled on a station and music flooded into the car. Mukuro rested back to his seat, staring out the window and the brunette mirrored his action. Tsuna was surprised that Mukuro left him alone after that. Possibly, he had pegged the other wrong. The delinquent wasn't such a bad person, he had offered him help and now he was giving him distance.

Somewhere along the highway, Tsuna drifted off to sleep, having a very bizarre dream about being chased off a cliff by a group of animals consisting of a liger, a shark(that could remarkably walk on land), a peacock, a snake, a sting ray, a mink and a giant fly. It was so strange and horrifying that Tsuna was thrust back into consciousness. His brown orbs looked out the window and noticed they were no longer on the highway, but in a metropolitan area.

"We're here." Lanchia announced over the music.

"Thank you…" Tsuna said as he fully woke himself up. "I'll get out anywhere."

"How are you going to find your home tutor?" This was from Mukuro.

The brunette looked over to the delinquent that sat on the other side of the vehicle. He had almost forgotten he was there, but Mukuro's attention was not focused on Tsuna, his mismatched eyes were glued to the world outside of the car. Lanchia stopped by a curb and Tsuna opened the car door. "I'll figure something out."

"Wait…" Mukuro called out. Tsuna froze with one foot already outside of the car. The russet headed teen peeked over his shoulder to his schoolmate. The delinquent was still looking out the window, watching the people and cars go by the glass. "My guess is that he'll be at the temple."

"The temple?" Tsuna questioned.

The illusionist turned to Tsuna and explained. "He's a foreigner, correct? He'll probably want his fortune told."

Ietsuna interjected, actually agreeing with Mukuro. _**That may be true, it seems like he's doing some tourism.**_

"Thank you." Tsuna said with a half smile to Mukuro.

"Good luck." The delinquent wished with a mesmeric grin, before turning away. Tsuna closed the door and watched the car drive off. For a second, Tsuna thought the other's words sincere. But that couldn't be, Mukuro wasn't sincere about anything. Perhaps, he was using his host club persuasion on him. When the car was out of his field of vision, he started to walk.

_**Don't tell me you're starting to like, Pineapple creep?**_ Ietsuna commented.

Tsuna began heading toward the Sensoji temple, it was one of the biggest tourist trap in Asakusa and there was a very large chance that Reborn was there. On the weekend, the largest groups gathered there and it would be like finding a needle in a haystack to locate Reborn.

_No, why would you say that? _Tsuna wondered. He didn't think he'd done anything to seem like he was fond of the delinquent.

_**Must I remind you, Tsunayoshi, that I know you better than anyone?**_ Ietsuna replied _**I especially know when you're gay for somebody.**_

Tsuna rolled his eyes that couldn't be true. Although, Ietsuna had been right about Yamamoto, but that was a horse of a different color. Mukuro was someone he would not be attracted to, the guy scared him and he would never feel comfortable around him. _It doesn't matter anyway, I have Gokudera._

Ietsuna snorted. _**I**__**give you guys two weeks, before you're jumping into bed with Pineapple.**_

Tsuna was appalled by Ietsuna's words. He would not do that to Gokudera, let alone himself. Plus, he had to worry about finding Reborn right now, or else he was good as dead. Tsuna crashed into the huge group of visitors. It took him awhile to pass through the main gate, where tourist were taking pictures to commemorate their visit. He began searching the many stands and shops that were established before one could reach the main temple.

"Why did Reborn have go to a place with so many people?" Tsuna complained as he squeezed by a throng of people lining up to buy hot food.

_**Good cover.**_ Ietsuna pondered. _**If I was a Hitman I would avoid being in secluded areas.**_

That seemed liked what Reborn was going for. Roppongi wasn't that busy at all, it was certainly not as crowded as this. Finally, Tsuna made it to main shrine, but exhausted for having to push pass several people along the way.

_**Tsunayoshi…**_Ietsuna alerted him to something in front of him.

Tsuna looked up and noticed a familiar man with a very expensive suit. It was Reborn; he was causally walking around the small shops that sold charms. The brunette's eyes followed the Italian as he walked up the steps to the main shrine. Tsuna unhurriedly trailed behind, keeping his eyes out for the other Hitman. He saw nothing, but he had a feeling the other was here, somewhere.

"Extremely bad luck!" Someone roared from near him, Tsuna jumped at the boisterous voice.

"Calm down, Onii-san." Another voice consoled.

At the edge of the stairs to the temple were Ryohei and his younger sister, Kyoko. Even they decided to visit the shrine, today of all days. It seemed that Ryohei had gotten a bad fortune and was taking it pretty hard. Tsuna moved to hide; if Ryohei and Kyoko noticed him then they'll distract him. He couldn't afford to be unfocused, Reborn could move in a flash and he'll be back to square one. The brunette panicked as the Sasagawa siblings headed in his direction. He needed to move! As Tsuna turned to run, he accidentally bumped into someone, dragging the person down to the floor.

"I'm sorry." Tsuna began apologizing, his eyes closed from hitting the floor hard. The person he ran into groaned with frustration. The brunette opened his eyes and the first thing they captured was cow print.

"Yare, yare. You should watch where you're going. It's dangerous to bump into people." The cow print wearing stranger reprimanded the teen.

Tsuna quickly got off the other; bowing lowly at his hip observed the stranger he had collided with. The person was much younger than him, probably still in junior high school or his last year of elementary school. However, the other seemed to have a mature demeanor about him. He had short, wavy black hair, bright green eyes—wait—one of his eyes didn't open! Tsuna started to panic thinking that he had injured this young boy. "Hiiieeee! D-did I hurt your eye?!"

"My eye?" The stranger gave the brunette a weird look and after a few seconds he understood what Tsuna meant. "Don't worry, you didn't do this."

"Oh?" Tsuna breathed with a sigh of relief.

The ebony haired teen got on to his feet. He shifted his one emerald eye to the direction of the shrine. The brunette turned to the shrine, remembering about Reborn. The two watched as the Italian left the shrine and began to head down another street away from the main crowd. The young foreigner frowned, watching his target walk off. "Yare, yare. He's getting away."

Tsuna was shocked to hear this from the stranger. The brunette wondered how the foreigner knew of Reborn, and why did it matter to him if he was leaving or not?

_**Tsunayoshi! He's the assassin after Reborn.**_ Ietsuna clued in his very dense host.

Tsuna couldn't believe it; the foreigner was much too young to be a hired gun. Around Reborn's age was acceptable, although people shouldn't kill each other, the brunette felt this occupation was much too cruel for the foreign youth. The cow print clad stranger turned to Tsuna, giving him some kind of salute with his hand. "I've got to go, be more careful next time."

Before the young stranger could leave, Tsuna grabbed onto his cow print shirt. "Wait! You're after Reborn."

The other didn't answer him or react to the brunette. Instead, the stranger exploded into a run, breaking himself from the highschooler's hold. _**Tsunayoshi, don't just stand there!**_ Ietsuna yelled to his host. _**He's getting away.**_

Tsuna jolted to action, racing after the other Hitman. The teen followed the dark haired assassin as he raced down a small strip, lined with shops of eateries and souvenirs. Reborn strolled ahead of the two boys, unaware that the Hitman was coming for him.

"Reborn!" Tsuna yelled out, trying to warn the older man. However, the Italian didn't respond and ambled nonchalantly down the strip.

The assassin, ahead of him, had wiped a rocket launcher, trying to aim the weighty firearm at his target. However, running and aiming were too difficult for him, the foreign youth decided to stop running, so he could effectively take aim. Tsuna used this time to catch up.

"Sawada!" Someone roared from behind, when the brunette turned around he saw that Ryohei was racing towards him. The other managed to catch up to him in a matter of seconds without breaking a sweat or even losing any air.

"Sasagawa." Tsuna said with raspy voice. It was hard to talk, let alone breathe at this pace. The protagonist's chest was burning and his legs throbbed.

"Are you in an extreme marathon or something?" The upperclassman asked.

"No." Tsuna answered shaking his head.

_**Tsunayoshi**_…Ietsuna called to his host, giving Tsuna an idea. He didn't like to lie, but if this made him pass the test, Ryohei would forgive him, hopefully.

"He stole my wallet. I'm trying to get it back." Tsuna lied, pointing a finger at the assassin.

"What?!" Ryohei yelled as he ran passed the brunette and tackled the foreigner to the ground before he could make his shot. The impact caused the hired hand to lose his weapon. The weapon sliding out of the other's reach, posing no threat to anyone as of yet. "Give it back!"

Tsuna reached the assassin and the boxer, "Actually, Sasagawa-san, I think it was the man in the red hat."

"I'm extremely sorry." Ryohei apologized to teen with the cow print shirt. He then turned to the brunette. "Don't worry; I'll get it back to the extreme."

"Thank you very much." Tsuna said as he watched the boxer sped off towards anyone with a red hat. The brunette turned to assassin, who was getting up from the floor. "I've got you."

"Couldn't you have done that without breaking every bone in my body?" The assassin questioned with an aggrieved expression.

Tsuna started to feel bad for being so rough with him. Maybe, he shouldn't have listened to Ietsuna's advice. Once the one eyed teen was able to stand up, he dropped a small black ball on the ground. The ball exploded engulfing the area in a cloud of smoke. Tsuna's eyes began to water and he began to violently cough. The brunette's cough died down once the smoke did, but the young assassin was no longer there. Tsuna looked down the stripped through his blurred vision and saw no one. Not even Reborn. "They're gone."

"Sawada!" Ryohei approached waving a brown wallet in his hand. "I got your wallet back."

Tsuna wiped the water away from his eyes and shook his head. "Sorry, Sasagawa-san I had my wallet the whole time."

Ryohei paused and turned around to give back the wallet that he apparently stole. "I'm sorry to the extreme, old man! Don't call the police!"

* * *

The train back home was empty and Tsuna thought this was good; he could wallow in despair without curious eyes looking in his direction whenever he blew out air. The brunette was hunched over, staring at the shoes on his feet.

_I'm good as dead._ Tsuna thought. He still couldn't believe that he was so close to catching that Hitman and he slipped from his fingers. There was no justice in the world. None.

_**Are you really okay with dying a virgin?**_ Ietsuna teased, in a way of consoling his host.

_That's not funny, Ietsuna._ Tsuna spat back as he leaned into his seat. His brown eyes watched the scenery fly by. The sky was starting to darken. It was almost time for the deadline. The distraught teen closed his eyes; he didn't want to think about it.

_**Look, Tsunayoshi, you still have time. Don't give up.**_

Tsuna sighed heavily, hunching over again. _I may have a little time, but where can I go? I have no clue of where Reborn has gone. It's hopeless._

_**It's not hopeless, we don't need Reborn.**_ His alter-ego began, gaining Tsuna's attention._** Now that we know that they are coming, I could train with Ryohei until they arrive.**_

_But, we don't know anything about the mafia._ Tsuna added his concern. It was one thing to train, but it was another to run into a fight with an enemy they knew nothing about.

The teen's split personality declared adamantly, _**It doesn't matter if I'm up against aliens, I'll find a way to protect you! **_

Tsuna blushed at this declaration. His alter-ego's words warmed him from his toes to the top of head. Wasn't it weird to be affected this why by your split personality?_ Ietsuna…_

_**Plus, you were chosen as a heir for a reason. Believe in yourself**__._ Ietsuna encouraged his host.

That was true; Reborn had come all the way from Italy to help him. If the Hitman didn't believe in him, he wouldn't have bothered. But Reborn decided to give him a chance; maybe the older man did see something in him that he didn't see in the other candidate. Thanks to Ietsuna, the adolescent felt more confident. As soon as the train stopped at his station, the brunette jolted up, yelling. "It's not over, yet!"

He dashed out of the train cart and headed out of the station. _**Do you even know where Reborn is?**_

After Ietsuna's prep talk, Tsuna had this weird idea. Maybe, he was hopeful or had become conceited in the short period of time, but there was something bizarre about the whole day. _It doesn't matter; he wants me to accomplish this. I don't know if it's my well wishing, but I believe when I got lost in Roppongi, he actually looked for me before he went to Asakusa. And in Asakusa, he picked an area that was well-known, not because of the crowd, but he knew I would go there. Maybe, just maybe, he led the Hitman close to my house. Knowing I would come back here._

Even Ietsuna thought the brunette's belief was a bit improbable._** Are you really sure about that?**_

_I just have a gut feeling._ Tsuna admitted and he hoped his intuition was correct.

The brunette raced into his neighborhood. Although the sun was going to set soon, the streets were empty. Usually people were returning from work or their day out about this time. He was almost close to his house, when he recognized a man lounging a block from his home. The man leaned on the fence, the rim of his fedora over his eyes and his arms crossed over his chest.

"I found him." Tsuna said triumphantly to himself.

Reborn heard the forthcoming footsteps and looked up. His eyes narrowed on the Tsuna's face and sneered. "What took you so long?"

"I took the train." Tsuna said bashfully, but he was relieved that his wacky hunch was correct. In a nonchalant way, Reborn had planned this.

The Italian got off the wall and looked as if he was preparing himself for an attack. "I'm giving you one last shot, so don't screw up."

"Reborn!" The dark haired assassin leapt out of a nearby tree, his emerald eye set on his target. He then noticed Tsuna was there as well. "You again?"

_**Let me switch with you, Tsunayoshi.**_ Ietsuna asked his host, Tsuna allowed his alter-ego to take over, since he had messed up earlier. The brunette's honey eyes changed to blazing amber, distinguishing the two personalities. "If you want to get to Reborn, you gotta go through me first."

"If you're going to get in my way, then I have no choice." The hostile teen sighed as he took out something from his pockets. He then placed something that looked like horns on top of his head. As soon as the horns were placed on, it drew electricity from the currents in the nearby power lines. The electric surges wrapped around the other's weapon like a finely tied bow. "Thunder set!"

"Elettrico Cornota!" Ietsuna braced himself as the raven headed assassin came charging at him with high powered horns. Reborn noted how calm the brunette seemed when faced with someone who could fry him. When the horned boy came close enough, Ietsuna implemented his attack. He swiftly lifted his foot up and squarely kicked the annoying bastard in the face. He had wanted to do that all day. The fiery persona held his stance, until the other collapsed onto his knees from the blow.

The charged horns dropped to the ground on impact and with a tear stricken and snotty face, the assassin ran, blubbering as he distanced himself from Ietsuna. However, Tsuna's alter-ego was not going to allow the other to escape, not after what he put his host through today. He chased after the coward, yelling: "Come back here, you wimp! You're not all bad ass without your grenades!"

In the middle of the chase, the gutless assassin pulled out a purple bazooka. At first, Ietsuna thought it would be used to shoot him, but instead the dark haired coward blasted himself with it. There was a bang and then everything was covered in a pinkish smoke. "What did he just…"

"That's the ten-year bazooka, be careful, the idiot shot himself with it. He'll be switched with his ten year older self." Reborn warned as he waded through the pink smoke to where Ietsuna stood.

Ietsuna whirled around to face the Italian Hitman. "Is that even possible?"

"See for yourself." Reborn told him, gesturing with his head over to the spot that the assassin once stood.

The haze cleared and a new figure stood in front of him, except, he was much smaller than what Ietsuna anticipated. Instead of a ten years older assassin, a five year old child was jumping up and down, obviously high on sugar. "Gwahahaha! Lambo is here!"

Ietsuna rudely pointed a finger at the child in cow print clothing. "He turns into a baby, ten years for now."

"There must be a glitch." Reborn replied indifferently, turning his back on the annoying child. "Its last five minutes, so just ignore the child."

"No." Ietsuna grabbed the child, holding the squirming pest against with an iron grip. He turned to Reborn. "I caught your Hitman, so does that mean I pass."

The Hitman studied the fiery brunette and then he dipped his head. "You pass."

Ietsuna is pleased with the answer and switched back with his host. Tsuna returned to his body to find a strange child in his arms, fighting his grip for release. "W-who are you?!"

"Lambo, the ruler of the world." The child introduced himself. "Are you here to play with me? Do you want to buy me candy?"

Ietsuna informed his host of Lambo's identity. _**That child is the assassin; he was so scared of me that he turned himself into a baby. In all honesty, it's a perfect fit for that pansy.**_

_Will he turn back?_ Tsuna asked as he looked down at the child, he was currently blowing his nose on his shirt, rubbing snot and salvia all over his clothes and arms.

_**Five minutes or so…**_His other replied.

Tsuna was then brought back to the present by Reborn's announcement: "Training starts tomorrow, bright and early."

"You've got to be kidding me." Tsuna whined as Reborn told him the bad news. For that comment, Reborn smacked on the back of his head, causing the brunette to drop the child on the floor, so he could tend to his head. "W-what are you doing?"

"Insubordination has to be dealt with swiftly and immediately." Reborn said sternly, his leveled voice instilling Tsuna with obedience and fear. "If I'm going to train you, I don't want to hear any lip from you. Understand?"

_**Hitman or not, I'll kill him.**_ Ietsuna growled within the dimensions of Tsuna's head.

_No, we need him and everything we did today will be for nothing._

Ietsuna stubbornly argued, _**but, he hit you! He doesn't have a right to lay a hand on you!**_

_Until this whole thing is over, I'm going have to deal with it. _Tsuna sighed.

_**Fine, but tomorrow I'll make sure I get a few shots in for you.**_

_That'll probably make things worse. _Tsuna thought frightfully_._

"You don't have time to rest; I have a lot of work to do with you. "They were pressed for time, but at least he was able to find out if Tsuna was worthy, among other things. He pulled two objects out from his suit jacket and presented them to the brunette. "You'll need these."

Tsuna looked at the items and he was surprised by how ordinary they were. A pair of white mittens with the number 27 on them and what seemed like a broken half of a ring. "Mittens and a ring?"

"Those mittens are your weapons." Reborn stated.

_**Against what…the cold?**_ Ietsuna joked, but Tsuna couldn't revel in the humor. He was afraid that if he cracked a smile in front of this Spartan assassin, he would be physically punished.

"That half ring represents your candidacy as the next heir to the Vongola family. The other candidate has the other half." The Hitman explained, "Guard it with your life."

Tsuna looked at the half ring with some awe. For part of a ring, it still seemed to be majestic in a way. Tsuna could feel the power this ring possessed, by allowing it to sit in his palm. The brunette knew this was something precious.

"Lambo wants to see! Lambo wants to see!" The child Lambo cried, jumping up and down, to get a better look at the items Tsuna received. As Tsuna lowered his hand for the child to see, there was a pop and a cloud of pink haze. Guardedly, the brunette closed his hands over the ring to ensure nothing would happen to it. When the haze cleared, the teenage Lambo was sitting in the spot, his child counterpart once stood.

"What about him?" Tsuna pointed to Lambo.

The Spartan teacher shrugged his shoulders, and coldly said. "You can kill him, if you want."

"Kill him?!" Tsuna said incredulously.

"Every Hitman knows that if you are caught, you're either dead" Reborn revealed the inevitable fate of most hitmen."Or you can be spared by joining his family."

"Well, I don't want him to die." Tsuna frowned, looking to Lambo.

"So, you're accepting him into your family?"

The brunette shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I guess so."

"Thank you, boss." Lambo smiled kindly at Tsuna.

"Boss?" Tsuna made a distasteful face at being referred to as Boss; he was more comfortable by being called by his name. "Call me, Tsuna."

Reborn glared at Lambo, wondering what the brunette could do with such a hopeless person. Then an idea came to him. "Maybe, he'll be of some use to you." The ebony headed Spartan said cryptically.

He took out a handful of half-rings, about six in total. The Hitman threw them in the air, the silver rings raised into the sky, basking in the moonlight. Instead of falling to the ground, the small trinkets levitated in the air and began to emit different colored lights. The ring with half sun symbol glowed yellow, the ring with half rain drop symbol was blue, the ring with the half thunderbolt symbol beamed green, the ring with the half cloud symbol was purple, the ring with a half cyclone symbol shined crimson and the ring with a half mist symbol glowed indigo. Finally, the half ring in Tsuna's hand began to glow a bright orange.

Suddenly the ring that glowed green shot towards Lambo, squarely hitting the boy on his forehead and knocking him out once more. Reborn observed this, shaking his head disappointedly. "Just as I thought."

The other rings in the sky dispersed into different directions, streaking the sky with their lights. Tsuna looked to Reborn. "What just happened?"

"The rings are finding their owners."

The adolescent's eyes bugged out. "Owners?!"

"The ones who will help you fight against the other candidate. The heir of Vongola must have six guardians backing him up. Usually, the heir chooses his guardians, but since we're pressed for time, I allowed the rings to make that decision for you. Plus, that was how it was done traditionally."

Tsuna groaned dejectedly as he threatened to pull the hair out of his skull. "So I have to bring people into my fight?!"

"You can't fight it alone." Reborn simply said.

Tsuna felt better about having company, but he also hated the fact that he was bringing in innocent people into this conflict. He was even more upset about his guardians not having a choice in the matter. Lambo, a teenage Hitman, was now involved. Who else will the rings pick to be his guardians? The Tsuna was a bit nervous to find out who the rings had chosen.

* * *

Later that night,

Nana thought she heard something downstairs. It wasn't a loud noise, but soft. She was surprised she could hear it, even over her husband's snoring. The woman figured that it more an intuitive nudge than anything else. Everyone had turned in for the night, especially Tsuna, who as soon as he walked in went to his room. His son hadn't even come down for dinner, but was sound asleep. Her husband was also in a deep slumber, so Nana decided to check out the noise herself. She quietly walked down the stairs, and then she heard a sound from the kitchen. As she approached the entrance to the kitchen, she saw a small light. As she stepped further into the room, she saw what looked like her son, sitting at the kitchen reading a book by the illumination of a flashlight.

Tsuna's mother watched for a bit, before the floor creaked underneath her, alerting the brunette that she was watching. The brunette turned to the brown haired woman, his pale blue eyes glowing in the darkness. He shut the book he was reading and turned off the flashlight he had been using, surrounding them in darkness.

Immediately, Nana realized this boy was not her Tsu-kun, neither her second son, Ietsuna. This boy had icy blue eyes and seemed more somber than the other two. If it was her first son, he would have been flustered. And Nana thought Tsuna wouldn't be reading a book at this hour, maybe a comic book or playing video games, but the book this newcomer was reading contained too many pages to hold Tsuna's attention. Not that she was belittling her son. Plus, Ietsuna didn't seem like the type to this do either.

"We haven't met." She greeted, walking into the kitchen with a bright smile. Who wouldn't be happy to have another son?

The blue eyed brunette watched her intently. Nana noted how calm and attentive the other was, a stark contrast from her second son, Ietsuna, as well as her first born. He then finally opened his mouth. "You know that I am not, Tsunayoshi or Ietsuna."

Nana bobbed her head pleasantly. She wanted to give credit to her woman's intuition, but she noticed distinct traits between her sons. Their eyes were all different and each of them had different behaviors. It was easy to figure out who was who if you looked closely. "Yes, but I would like to know who you are. What is your name?"

"Tsunashige." The other said flatly.

"Tsunashige?" The thrilled mother blushed. "Wow, what a strong name! Just like my other sons."

Tsunashige smiled a little from his host's kindness. "Mrs. Sawada…"

"Don't be so formal, you're my third son, right? So, call me mom." Tsuna's mother insisted.

"Mom." Tsunashige said awkwardly finding it weird to call this woman by such an intimate name. Then he turned to the brown haired woman who marveling over him. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You didn't, I was just thirsty." Nana assured the other. Then suddenly Tsunashige's stomach growled. "Hungry?"

Tsunashige nodded his head.

"You must be. Tsu-kun went to bed without anything to eat. He was so tired." Nana said enthusiastically as she went to the fridge to fetch some leftovers. She was literally bouncing off the walls with excitement.

"Tsunayoshi and Ietsuna are both asleep. It was a very tiresome day for them. That was how I was able to take full control." The alter-ego explained as he observed Nana's bounce in her step. Tsunashige wondered if the root of her elated behavior had to do with fixing him something to eat.

Nana thought it was really interesting for Tsunashige to come about only when her first two sons were asleep. That was probably the reason why that psychiatrist only noticed one of Tsuna's personalities. She began reheating some food, before she inquired. "Does Tsu-kun know of you?"

Tsunashige shook his head. "No, but he will be aware of me over time. Ietsuna knows of me, though."

Nana stirred a pot full of miso soup and began to pour some into a small bowl. "Do you and Ietsuna get along?"

"No." Tsunashige rolled his eyes, with a slight glower. "He's always smothering Tsunayoshi and has his nose in every aspect of his life. It's disgusting."

"He's just overprotective of his brother." Nana said sweetly as she placed a full course meal in front of her firstborn's second alter-ego.

"More like a nuisance." The blue eyed brunette muttered as he began to eat the food that was prepared for him. "Thank you."

Nana smiled to herself, happy that Tsuna had brothers that were so concerned over him. She was also pleased that her house will be a lot livelier. Ever since, her second son showed up, the house seemed to be filled with more life. And she could only hope that things at home will be a lot more interesting with the addition of Tsunashige.

Nana sat down in front of Tsunashige with a cup of hot tea. "Eat as much as you like. You're eating for three."

Tsunashige turned his nose up at this. "Ietsuna can starve."

Chapter End

* * *

Notes:

Yamato Nadeshiko – represents the ideal Japanese woman. Chaste, polite, sacrificing wife, mother or sister…I think Spanner said in Haru's Haru Haru Dangerous interviews that he looking for such a woman, and Reborn broke it to him that such woman don't exist anymore.

* * *

Author's Note: So I decided to add another personality. His name is Tsunashige. I decided to name him this because I found out that Tsunayoshi and Ietsuna Tokugawa had a middle brother (not so well known) named Tsunashige. I think Ietsuna and Tsunashige will be Tsuna's only personalities (anymore would be confusing). As you may notice, Tsunashige is not as aggressive as Ietsuna; he's calmer, but not less protective of Tsuna. Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter and enjoy the following chapters to come, as well the previous chapters. Please review, it gives me power (as well as encouragement).

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Answered Questions-

mugiwara-shinigami xD – Well this is fanfic in an alternative reality, so a lot of things are not how they are in canon. Plus, I prefer Reborn in adult form. That's the main reason why I chose him as an adult instead of his baby form. On a side note, my latest Hungry for Tsuna chapter is really long, I have a lot of stuff to cover. But it should be out in May, hopefully. I also like 10027, so you check out my new story, Kitsunetsuki. 10027 is the main pairing (sorry for self advertising).

Shino – Yes, this chapter featured Lambo and soon the other characters will show. Dino maybe next.

kitsunekiri – There is possibility for a R/27/72 ( Reborn/Tsuna/ Ietsuna pairing). I'm pretty open to a lot pairings, so I haven't really decided, but it would be interesting.

Idiots-Rule-The-World- Rest assure, this is a Yaoi fanfic. And for those authors that switch from Yaoi to Yuri or heterosexual, they are teases and very cruel.

Nestly – Tsuna's guardians in the canon will still be his guardians here. As for Byakuran, he's coming, but towards the end of the fanfic…I probably wouldn't go pass the future arc (heck, they wouldn't even go to the future).

copycat-capycot – I'm excited about Ietsuna's interaction with Xanxus as well. They both have anger issues and like to abuse people. They have a lot in common, just as long as Xanxus doesn't try to put the moves on Tsuna; I think Ietsuna will be tolerant…to an extent.


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